Hand Magic
by dinolove453
Summary: I haven't seen her since, not really. Not enough to make me happy, not enough to satisfy the thirst within my heart. The girl who came to Hogwarts during my last year and changed everything. The girl who saved me. The girl who saved everyone.
1. Part 1 Prologue: Savior

Part 1:

_Hand Magic_

Prologue: Savior

_It kills me not to know this but I've all but just forgotten_

_What the color of her eyes were and her scars or how she got them_

_As the telling signs of age rain down a single tear is dropping_

_Through the valleys of an aging face that this world has forgotten_

_There is no reconciliation that will put me in my place_

_And there is no time like the present to drink these draining seconds_

_But seldom do these words ring true when I'm constantly failing you_

_Like walls that we just can't break through until we disappear_

_~Savior by Rise Against_

_Dearest Neville,_

_The War over here hasn't gotten any better. It seems that every day I turn around and see more carnage, more terror, more hurt. I beg every day to be taken home, to be allowed to go home to you; but it doesn't seem like the Governments are going to let that happen with the increasing awfulness over here. I've argued about the nature of our relationship and the agony that these past ten years have brought, but still, they are relentless. What's more, I'm finding less and less of a reason to keep fighting. I will see you again someday, though, and when I do I promise to tell you everything. I love you, and I never could stop. Please, don't worry too much for me. _

_Love,_

_Maggie_

Yet another cryptic letter. I sigh, tears of frustration pouring down my face, and gently put in a box with all the others I had received from her for ten years. Ten years of not seeing her face; ten years of not feeling her caress; ten years of not having her in my arms and I cannot handle it anymore. Not like it matters how I feel, or how she feels; the governments do not care much for personal tragedies in the face of nationwide terror.

I cannot even remember the last time we face-flooed each other- the one leniency provided- due to how little access she had to a fireplace during her American Wizarding War, and the nature of that War itself. How come, when War in Britain ends, War in America begins and prevents us from being reunited? I need her more than breathing, more than eating, more than drinking water- all the things necessary for living, in theory. Letters and face-flooing (and the one time I cheated, passed through the floo, and helped her fight for a day) can only satisfy for so long (a day, at most) and her handwriting, while evident of her and reminiscent, is starting to cause more pain and longing than dispelling it. It's like in my classes at Hogwarts. You can teach the kids a lot about plants, but the words on the blackboard and on the pages of their textbooks can only satisfy their curiosity (if they have any concerning plants,) and will only satisfy their thirst for knowledge for so long. You have to touch, you have to live, you have to see with your own eyes.

I see, as I put away the latest letter, her well-worn journal. When she had been in Britain for a year, she kept a detailed journal of her life and her experiences. I open it up, tears dripping on the first page as always. Perhaps, it's time for another trip down nostalgic, tragedian memory lane.

I know it's no use to mope or to pine, but I just cannot think of anything else. She is everything to me. She sacrificed so much coming over to the UK, just after she turned eighteen, and yet, she was punished in return. She was punished for four years, continuing for six more because of another stupid, stupid war.

Perhaps, it's time to tell somebody.


	2. Ch 1: Abroad

Ch. 1 Abroad

_The crowd buzzing quietly _

_Waiting expectantly _

_Like its opening night _

_What can he tell 'em now _

_Sorry I let you down _

_Sorry it wasn't quite true _

_Don't get hung up on it _

_Just soldier on with it _

_And good luck with shooting the moon_

_~Shooting the Moon by Occ-K Go_

The world was a bright place, filled with brilliant colors and sounds and smells. A train whizzed past my face, into a majestic world filled with verdant mountains and rolling clouds. A million people surrounded me, not knowing my presence, flitting between each other and pushing past until they reached their destination. A million voices filled the air, calling to each other and yelling out in excitement as children squealed loudly for the attention of their parents. A million smells reached my nostrils as the smoke of the train, the musk of the people, and the wetness of the air permeated that which I inhaled. I seemed to be invisible in this sea of beings; no one paid attention to me and I paid attention to no one else. I like it that way, you see. There's less hassle involved in being invisible.

As I observed the various people jostling me to get to point B, I heard one voice clearer than all the others. A young man's voice (or an older boy's I suppose) called out my name clearly above the throng of voices. He shouted, really, yelling out, "Maggie! Maggie!" I didn't know why such a person would try to find me; I had never heard his voice before in my life. And yet, I knew that it was important that I find this bodiless voice.

I pushed through the throng, shoving aside motionless peoples as they gasped in annoyance and surprise. A little boy, around the age of eight, pointed at me and cried out to his mother. The mother pulled back the boy into her arms, eyeing me with intense disapproval. A girl around my age laughed in mockery at my rushing, her pug face contorted into a sneer of amusement. Meanwhile, the voice of the unknown boy continued to call out my name, and his voice began to fill with unmistakable anxiety. I pushed further through the crowd of brightly-clad people, actually pushing aside a young boy holding a camera up to his face.

"Maggie! Maggie!" the boy cried out, his voice sounding just as if it were behind the plump, red-headed woman and her teenaged red-haired daughter. As I attempted to get past them, I despaired that I would never find-

_RING! RING! RING!_ The shocking ring of my alarm buzzed and shook my whole person. I groaned and threw my pillow on top of the snooze button, staring as the red letters flashed 9:00 annoyingly in my face. The sound of birds chirping outside of my window filled my ears, as well as the excited laughter of my younger sister downstairs. I could smell my mother's wonderful pancakes and French toast being made in the kitchen, the aroma wafting upstairs and filling my nostrils. The brilliant aqua colors of my room invaded my eyesight as I allowed my eyes to open to an appropriate width.

"Maggie! Maggie!" the annoyed voice of my father called up the stairs. I groaned quietly and stood up from the bed, annoyed at the unsatisfactory conclusion of my dream.

"Margaret Natalie Johnson! Get down here! You need to bring your sister to school!" my father yelled in anger. I sighed and pushed the dream from my mind, slipped my feet into my slippers, and stumbled to the outside world.

Sure enough, my father was waiting for me on the steps, eyeing me with annoyance. His bright blue eyes, blocked by thick glasses, were contorted into a glare. His balding head and forehead creased so that his eyebrows furrowed. His wrinkled fingers drummed along the banister and his large foot tapped against the carpet.

"Sorry Dad," I grinned cheerfully, "Was having a strange dream."

"Well, light a fire under it," he grumbled, "Your sister has to be on the bus by eleven."

"Yes, sir!" I saluted sarcastically and jumped down the stairs in one fell swoop (literally.) My father groaned in annoyance and followed behind at a normal, boring pace. I sprinted into the kitchen and found my sister, clad in black robes trimmed in bright purple, sitting at the kitchen table. Her dark brown hair was twisted into a neat ponytail, and her blue eyes flashed with excitement at my appearance. My mother watched me with her kind, bright green eyes and raised her eyebrows with amusement at my sprinting.

"Not even ten and we're excited to be alive, I see," my mother smiled, "Eat some pancakes. You have to take Elena to the bus."

"And then can I go flying?" I asked hopefully. My father grunted from the hallway in annoyance, but my mother nodded happily.

"I don't see why not. It's a fine day; you have little else to do. Though Thailus is still out in the Rockies..." my mother paused thoughtfully.

"My broom's fine, mom," I laughed. My mom smiled in response and levitated a few pancakes to my plate with her wand, flicking it gracefully in the air.

"So what's it feel like to not be going to school this year?" Elena asked eagerly. I shrugged, smiling at my fourteen-year-old sister.

"It feels weird, I'll admit. But I mean, it's nice at the same time. I don't have to worry about evil Ms. Longworth, or grades, or anything like that. And next year I start training for the UDRA," I grinned at Elena excitedly, "And I _do_ need a year's rest before that."

"I can't believe you got chosen for the UDRA!" Elena sighed longingly, "I never matched up with anyone, so I never will. I guess I'll just end up being a teacher of magic or something lame like that."

"Now, Elena, being a teacher isn't that boring," my mom chastised.

"Easy for you to say, mom, you're a Magical Diplomat," my younger sister grumbled.

"And I work in the Apothecary," my dad countered, "Yet I live a nice life. Don't worry about your career yet, at any rate, Elena. You're only fourteen."

"Next year I take the AOWLs," Elena muttered.

"And your American Ordinary Witching Levels will simply tell you what you are good at," I explained, "It's your ANEWTs that will help you choose a career, and you have three years for that."

Elena mumbled in annoyance and went back to her French toast. I chose to ignore her grumbling, and reached out blindly to grab the syrup. Upon finding that it wasn't near me, I looked around and saw it at the counter near Elena. I groaned in annoyance and searched for my wand so I wouldn't have to stand up.

"Screw it," I muttered in annoyance. I snapped my fingers, and the bottle of syrup hovered over to me and settled next to me. Elena rolled her eyes and my mother chuckled under her breath. My dad, however, grumbled disapprovingly.

"Maggie, how many times do I have to tell you? Hand magic is only for..." but I cut off my father in amusement.

"Emergencies, because it's incredibly unstable. Yes, I know dad. I _have_ graduated from the Salem Witches' Institute, you know, and I think I can handle levitating a bottle of syrup to my person," I rolled my eyes. Elena giggled.

"And what if you were distracted for even a moment, and the bottle of syrup went flying into your mother?" my father retorted.

"Then I would have apologized profusely as Mom snapped it back to the counter," I sighed in exasperation, "Dad, c'mon, I got an O on my ANEWT in Hand Magic. I am certified to use it."

"Some countries don't even let their residents know that this magic exists," my dad continued like my last statement hadn't been said, "They deem it 'forbidden knowledge' and many wizards and witches go their whole lives without knowing of its existence. I think in Britain it isn't even fully known."

"And yet, many people in America use it successfully from day to day," I retorted, "It's helpful when a wand is impossible to come by, and it's a _lot_ more powerful."

"And drains your energy faster than running a marathon," my dad angrily shot back.

"Okay, you two," my mother interjected, "This is an argument neither of you can win. Hurry up and eat, Maggie, you have to bring Elena to the bus."

I nodded and wolfed down my pancakes, and shot back up the stairs. The bus to Salem left Boston at eleven, so I had less than an hour to get my sister there. Granted, the drive from the Bostonian suburbs to the city was a short one, but it was a pain in the butt all the same.

As I ran up the stairs, I passed by a picture that struck me. I hadn't even recognized it's oddity before, but now, it was so obvious. There was my mother, standing with her arms around two old friends from her work at the International Magical Diplomatic Office, her red hair flowing everywhere. One was an elderly man, with a long silver beard and equally long and silver hair. He wore half-moon spectacles and had a distinct twinkle in his eye- Albus Dumbledore. The other looked remarkably reluctant to be in the picture, though as my mom had always explained, Dumbledore had coerced him into it during their meetings two years ago now, when the Dark Lord Rose to power. He had long greasy hair, a hooked nose, and an annoyed expression- Severus Snape.

My mother had known them both for a long time before then, working with Dumbledore especially in affairs between British and American magic, and knowing Snape well by association. Two years ago, though, she had spent a long time helping the Order of the Phoenix, and apparently got to know Snape better than she even thought possible, not letting on to her family what she had found out.

But then, after that, the Minister of Magic banned her from the country due to her association with Dumbledore, claiming her to be subversive and dangerous. And when she had been allowed back in with full apologies months later, she had work to do in other countries- though lately more than ever she had wanted to go back to prove Snape's innocence in the killing of Dumbledore and, perhaps, help in the fight against the Dark Lord.

I quickly fixed myself and ran back downstairs. My sister was all ready with her bags, grinning excitedly at the prospect of another year. My mom watched her tearfully and hugged her multiple times, as if she would never see her again.

"Melinda, you'll see her soon enough this Winter Break," my father muttered irritably, "She has to make the bus; Maggie can't drive her out to Salem!"

"I know, Nathan," my mom muttered irritably, "They just... these two! They're growing up so fast."

"Into beautiful, intelligent, strong young women, albeit stubborn," my father grinned at me. I chuckled softly.

"And whose genes do we have to blame for such a thing?" I retorted with a laugh.

"Can't be mine," my dad shook his head, "Now c'mon, this is all you have to do today."

I nodded, and Elena gave one last tearful wave to our parents as we headed out to the car. She began to sing a small song under her breath as the car was turned on, and I pulled us out onto the road.

"Yet another Sept-em-ber First," she sang, "And I'm a-goin' to cry, 'cause you ain' comin' home no more, ye-ah," she sang happily.

"You know I hate that song," I laughed as we reached the highway.

"It's September First!" she giggled, "How can I _not_ sing it?"

"I'm not," I rolled my eyes, "Follow my example, young padawan."

She burst into hysterical laughter and I smiled wryly. The highway flew by under the tires as we reached the inner city of Boston. I could even see a few, brightly-robed teenage girls walking in the direction of the Bus Station. I pulled into the parking lot, and stepped out of the car.

"Now, don't get into any catfights this year," I reprimanded in a cheap imitation of our dad, "And try to focus on your studies!"

"Riiiiiiight," Elena rolled her eyes, "I'll try."

I grinned, and then sighed, "Seriously, though, don't get into too much trouble. I'll be doing enough of that at home."

"Understood, Maggie," Elena smiled, "I'll see you at Christmas."

"Dear God," I sighed in irritation, "So many things have to happen between now and then! I'll owl you soon enough," I grinned.

She smiled back, grabbed her bags and raced to the bus. Another girl, clad in purple robes, met up with her and began chatting amiably. I shook my head in amusement, and got back into the car. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her wave at me feebly. Unfortunately, I was already on the road, and could not wave back.

The next day dawned in a different fashion. No alarm woke me up, and no strange dreams preceded the waking up. The warm smell of fresh Dunkin Donuts wafted up instead of that of pancakes, and no annoyed father called out my name. Today was my eighteenth birthday, and I didn't have to worry about any such things. I woke up naturally at the kind hour of ten thirty, yawning and stretching in relaxation. The birds continued to chirp outside my window, but they did so in a musical fashion that was kind to my ears. It didn't take any unusual effort to open my eyes to an appropriate size, and I eagerly jumped out of bed to reach the kitchen below.

Downstairs, my father was discussing some sort of Wizarding-world happening with my mother. I heard from the steps that my mother had been informed of a new development in the Dark terrorism in England.

"Wait, so the Dark Lord really _isn't_ in power?" my father asked.

"No, but the embassy suspects that the government in place is a puppet government," my mom explained, "And completely under his control."

"Do you still really think that it's safe for you two to be going there? Or for her?" my father snapped.

"I have to- no one knows but me now that Snape still is on Dumbledore's side. And bringing Maggie along will give her world knowledge and, Lord knows, if there is any person who would make a good ally in trying to prove Severus' innocence, it's her. She won't shut up till he's cleared," my mother laughed.

"The danger is too great, for both of you. Just go to France. Don't go to England," my father begged.

"I have to, he's my friend, I owe him more than that, and England will be good for Maggie- she needs to know her heritage," my mother hissed. I decided it was the time to walk in the room.

"I will be worried si- Maggie! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" my dad greeted far too eagerly.

"Happy Birthday sweetheart! You are now an adult in both worlds!" my mom joked happily.

"Woot," I laughed sarcastically, pumping my fist into the air.

"Eat some donuts, and then you can open your presents," my mom smiled, "Or wait, you're an adult now. Please eat first," she joked.

"Your wish is my command," I laughed back. She smiled as I bit into a wonderful marble-frosted and munched happily. Before me were a few wrapped gifts, as well as a card. I reached out and attempted to open the card eagerly.

"No, no," my dad sighed, "That's for last."

"Oh," I raised my eyebrow, but then shrugged. I grabbed the first present, which had a crude inscription on the wrapping.

_To: Maggie_

_From: Thailus_

With the unfortunate limits on his writing capabilities, I found it a miracle that he managed to scrape this out at all. Not to mention, it was a miracle that he had sent it to me!

I looked up in questioning at my parents. Both smiled widely at my excited, yet incredulous facial expression.

"Emralda flew it over here from the Rockies last week," my mother explained, "She said that Thailus simply couldn't ignore your birthday. She says happy birthday as well," my mom smiled warmly.

"Thailus is the best," I laughed, "I can't wait to see him again."

My mother nodded kindly as I quickly opened the present. It was a beautiful, strangely colored rock; it was almost sea-green looking. I laughed happily and set it aside; Thailus knew my favorite color well and the rock was beautiful.

I moved on to the next present, a small package heralding from my best friend Lauren. I opened the package and found inside a journal made out of recycled paper, which I am writing in now. I grinned and set this aside too. The next to last present was from my little sister, and inside was a book on the study of Dragons. I smiled widely and finally opened the last present from my friend Kristen, and inside was a muggle CD, the band being Fall Out Boy. I grinned and set all these aside. My friends knew me well.

"Well, now you can open your card," my father chuckled softly. I opened the card, which had _To: Margaret_ and _From: Mom and Dad_ on the envelope. On the cover of the card was a funny joke, and then on the inside of the card was a small note.

_Dear Margaret, You have no idea how proud we are of you! Graduating as the third in your class at Salem, selected for the UDRA immediately after graduation, and still managing to find time for sleep- we couldn't be more proud. Since you have this year off before you start UDRA training, I (mom) am offering to bring you with me on my work this year. I'm assigned to be in England for most of the year, and then in France from April until July. During my time in England, you can learn about the magical culture there and meeting other young wizards and witches your age. Do you want to come? It will truly be an adventure!_

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

I looked up eagerly and jumped to hug my mom.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" I answered, laughing happily. My mom smiled at me and my dad chuckled softly.

"Keep in mind, sweetheart that a war's going on in Wizarding England at the moment, and you have to be careful," my dad reprimanded.

"Yeah, yeah. What is this nonsense? A Dark Lord has risen from the dead and wants to kill some seventeen-year-old boy?" I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"And managed to kill Albus Dumbledore," my father reminded.

"He was getting old," I muttered.

"I don't think so," my dad retorted. My mother coughed quietly, and he stopped his retort.

"The thing is, sweetie, your father _is_ right; it's probably dangerous for me there now as well. But I do believe that it will be a wonderful opportunity for you, seeing as all you've ever really known in life is Massachusetts, and the mountains with Thailus," my mom shrugged.

"Exactly!" I agreed, "I want to go out and _see_ the world!"

"Then it's settled," my mom nodded, "Start packing."

"Why?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"You leave tomorrow," my father chuckled.


	3. Ch 2: Muggle Born

Ch. 2 Muggle-Born

_Meet me on the Equinox  
__Meet me half way  
__When the sun is perched at its highest peek  
__In the middle of the day  
__Let me give my love to you  
__Let me take your hand  
__As we walk in the dimming light  
__Oh darling understand  
__That everything, everything ends  
__~Meet Me on the Equinox by Death Cab for Cutie_

The next morning, I stood with my mother in the doorway. I had my backpack on my back, and a small suitcase next to my legs. A letter for Thailus when he returned was left on the doorsill, for my father to give to him in October. I felt bad for prolonging our separation, but unfortunately it could not be helped. Thailus was not allowed in most foreign countries; unless he came illegally (something my mom was not fond of.) My mother had her usual business robes on, along with her own two suitcases. My father stood on the stairs, smiling sadly at us.

"Well, you two, be careful. I won't see you until Christmas," my father sighed, "But write often."

"Euclid will fly swiftly across the Atlantic," I grinned, and pet my Horned owl fondly. Euclid hooted softly.

"Don't kill the poor thing," my father groaned irritably, "Owls are expensive."

"You tell me to write often and then don't kill Euclid with too many deliveries!" I sighed in exasperation.

"Well, this argument could, doubtlessly, go on forever," my mother smiled, "We have to reach the Customs Apparition Office."

"Okedoke. Bye Dad!" I smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Bye, Maggie. Have fun out there. Don't get a British accent while you're gone," he joked. I grinned and pulled back.

My mother walked forward and hugged him silently. No words were exchanged, as always when my mom went away for her work. My father kissed her, and I turned respectfully away. After my mom whispered with him, they pulled away and she retreated to my side.

"Well, I'll see you two at Christmas," my father smiled, "Bye!"

"Adios!" I grinned, and my mother and I both turned silently into the air.

In almost a split second, we were at the United States Apparition Customs Office. This was the place where all people who apparated to different countries had to go through first. My mom waved at the Customs officer, who smiled back. We both walked up to him, as there was almost no one else there.

"Where to this time, Melinda?" the customs officer asked, "And is this lovely lady next to you your daughter?"

"England," my mother answered, "And yes. Maggie, this is Edgar Bala. He's been the customs officer here for almost the whole time I've been a diplomat."

"Started the year after she started," Edgar grinned, "Well, how long will you be in England? And your daughter is going with you, I presume?"

"Until April," my mom nodded, "Well, not counting the Christmas holiday. And my daughter is coming too, but she might stay longer in England. Depends on what happens."

"Well, I'll give you both a yearlong visa, since I can't give you anything longer right now," Edgar nodded, "It's unfortunate, but the government in place currently at the Ministry of Magic is being very stringent. I'm actually only allowed to bring you in because you're a diplomat. Plain tourists aren't allowed in and only exceptional students," Edgar smiled at me.

"Its insanity," my mother shook her head sadly, "I have no idea what sort of government is in place now. That's why my term there is going to be so long."

"You have a hard job ahead of you," Edgar nodded, "What are you going to be doing in the meantime, Maggie?"

"Probably visit Hogwarts," I grinned excitedly, "Maybe explore the famous Wizarding sights."

"Hogwarts is an excellent choice," Edgar nodded, "I've been there once before, and it's magnificent. Just beautiful. You'll probably end up staying there longer than your mother cares for. At the very least, see the castle at Christmas."

"Magnificent," my mother agreed, "I'll let you see it."

"I know Hogwarts is beautiful, and probably one of the best magical education institutions out there," I acknowledged, "Anything else I should know?"

"Just don't act _too_ American," Edgar laughed, "They don't trust easily over there, especially in these times."

"Darn," I sighed sarcastically, "I was _so_ hoping to wear my Anglophobic shirts."

"Nonexistent," my mother explained to Edgar, who laughed even harder. My mother and I both pulled out our passports, which Edgar stamped and slipped Visas inside of.

"Well, have a fun time. Be safe, you don't know who to trust over there right now," Edgar nodded.

We both smiled and nodded in assent, saying our farewells and turning, once again, into the air. Suddenly, I found myself in a drab and dreary room. Black stones dripped with moisture, and a man with a foreboding facial expression sat behind a rusting desk. He tapped his quill in annoyance against his paper, muttering to himself. My mother sighed and I swallowed nervously. I could hear the sound of arguing above, and I thought I heard a distant scream. I bit my lip and waited for my mother to act.

She stepped forward, holding out both of our passports and visas. The man looked up and sighed in annoyance.

"Names, countries of origin, ancestry, reasons for traveling, and period of stay," he asked in a monotone, his Liverpoolian accent dreary with boredom.

"I am Melinda Elizabeth Dickens Johnson," my mother began, "I am a citizen of the United States of America, but was born in London. My parents moved to the States when I was only a few months old. My mother was Rebecca Louise Evans Dickens; my father was William Quincy Dickens. Both were muggles who died soon after I graduated from the Salem Witches' Academy. I am currently the Chief Magical Diplomat of the American Department of Magic, and I have been assigned to work at the US Magical Embassy here in England. I am assigned to stay here until April," my mother paused. The man watched as a levitating quill wrote all this down, and when it paused he nodded to me.

"I am Margaret Natalie Johnson," I mumbled nervously, "I am a citizen of the United States of America and was born there. My parents are Melinda Elizabeth Dickens Johnson and Nathaniel Scipio Johnson. My mother is muggle-born, but my father is a pureblood. His mother comes from a long line of witches from Italy, his father from a small Wizarding family in Norway. He currently is in America. My younger sister Elena Samantha is attending the Salem Witches' Academy; I graduated in June. I am currently taking a year off of schooling, before I go into training next year at the UDRA. I am here with my mother to explore other Wizarding cultures, and plan to visit Hogwarts. I will be here as long as my mother, and possibly longer," I stumbled over a few words, and averted my eyes from the furiously scribbling black quill.

"I'll just send this up to the authorities," the man acknowledged once the quill had stopped writing, "Along with your visas and passports. Please wait here," and he took our identifications and sent them upstairs in a winged envelope.

My mother placed a loving hand on my shoulder, and I shifted nervously. The man sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. I could hear still more distant screams, and I continued to chew on my lip. My mother rubbed my shoulder, and made a sigh of annoyance. After what seemed like forever, a letter in a winged envelope returned to the bored man. He opened it, placed our visas and passports on his desk, and read the letter carefully. After what seemed like a second forever, he looked up at us.

"This says that Margaret may continue on," he explained slowly, "But you, Melinda, must return back to the States."

"Why?" my mother demanded angrily, "I am here for..."

"The US Embassy, yes," the man sighed, "But due to your parentage, I am required to send you up to the search office, which will then send you back home. A request for a new diplomat has been made to your government."

"Due to my _what_?" my mother demanded furiously.

"Parentage. You are a muggle-born," the man explained, "And we are currently in the process of searching and restricting citizenship of all muggle-borns. We will search you, but as you are not a citizen of our country, we must send you back home. Margaret, however, has been approved to continue on alone."

"Muggle-born _searching..._?" my mother gasped in annoyance, "You know what? Fine. Though it is a clear violation of my rights as a diplomat, I will agree to the search. Just give me a moment," and my mother turned back to me.

"You will be okay, sweetie? You can come home with me. I'll probably be assigned to France; you can go visit Beauxbatons..." she asked softly.

"Nah, I think I'll be okay mom. I want to see England; it is the homeland of my ancestors," I smiled, "I'll miss you, though."

"I'll miss you too, sweetheart," my mom sighed, tears pooling in her eyes, "I didn't think that I'd be forced to _leave_ you... ah well. I'll see you at Christmas," she pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my forehead, "I love you, my baby."

"I love you too mommy," I smiled, feeling tears pool into my own eyes, "Be careful. I don't like the sound of these searches..."

"Neither do I," my mother sighed, "But I have rights. Thank God for that! Write often, or else your father may have a heart attack."

"Understood," I nodded. We hugged once more, and my mother turned in annoyance to the Customs man.

"Take me where you need to take me," she muttered irritably. The man nodded, and all of a sudden a dreary looking woman, with wild eyes, came down the steps.

"This way, Mudblood," the woman hissed in annoyance. The term was unfamiliar to both me and my mother, and we looked at each other questioningly. She shrugged.

"Goodbye, Maggie, my dear," she smiled a watery smile, "Take care."

"Adios, mama," I nodded, squeezing her hand. The ragged woman led my mother up the stairs, and I felt extremely alone in that second.

"I will now write you a letter of permission into the school," the customs man continued on, scribbling something down with his quill. He handed me back my passport, visa, and the piece of paper. I took them all, scowled at him, and turned to leave.

"Please leave through that entrance. Keep in mind, you cannot apparate to Hogwarts. Apparate instead to Hogsmeade Village," the man explained. I turned to leave, and started to hear the screaming again. I swallowed, trying to not notice that the voice sounded rather familiar.

The screaming continued, and I turned to demand of the Customs officer what was going on up there. He raised his eyebrows at me, and waved me away before I could even speak. I swallowed and turned away again, realizing that I had no choice.

I sighed, and exited in the opposite direction of my mother. I entered a street filled with loud sounds and noises, and plenty of muggles. Taking care that no one would see me, I envisioned a picture of Hogsmeade that I once had seen in my head. I turned in midair, and as I felt alone in the pressing darkness of apparition, I realized that it was no change from how I felt in the real world.


	4. Ch 3: Hogwarts

Ch. 3 Hogwarts

_Oh baby don't you know I suffer? _

_Oh baby can you hear me moan? _

_You caught me under false pretenses _

_How long before you let me go? _

_You set my soul alight_

_I thought I was a fool for no-one _

_Oh baby I'm a fool for you _

_You're the queen of the superficial _

_And how long before you tell the truth_

_~ Supermassive Black Hole by Muse_

I was suddenly in a small, quaint village. But the village wasn't as I had imagined it. Instead of groups of people chatting and hustling around each other, single persons moved swiftly and silently to their destinations. Instead of loud noises and bright colors, as it had been at the Quidditch World Cup (an event I attended, along with many of my friends from Salem) it was dreary, drab and grey. Instead of friendly faces smiling warmly at me, people stared at me with wide and fearful eyes or made no notice of my presence at all. No one was dressed in bright colors; black seemed to be the predominant sentiment. Tall, dark, hooded and masked men (like those at the World Cup, I might add,) stood like sentinels, with their arms folded in front of their chests and their lips making no motion. Most of the doors around me were closed; I could find no refuge anywhere from the cold gaze of these guards. I hurried past them, in an attempt to find some sort of landmark.

I looked up and found my landmark. The majestic castle of Hogwarts rose up behind the village, on top of a pedestal of mountains and hills. Lights twinkled calmly from inside of the castle, and it was the warmest and most inviting building I could observe. Prepared for a long hike up the knolls, I shouldered my backpack and shrunk my suitcase with my wand. I placed my suitcase in my pocket, laced up my sneakers, and made a motion to start my journey.

"And just who do you think you are?" a dark, foreboding voice asked from behind me. I gave a little start, and turned around slowly. One of the sentinels hovered over me, his eyes contorted behind his mask into a glare. I shivered in fear and swallowed nervously.

"I am Maggie Johnson," I mumbled softly, "And I am here to learn about British magical customs. I have permission from your government," and I held out my permission form in my shaking hand.

The man took it irritably and perused it quickly. Scowling at finding it legitimate, he handed it back.

"Take care not to make your presence too obvious, or you might find yourself in trouble," he snarled. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, and turned to go.

"Insolence will not be tolerated!" the man roared at my back. I turned around and smirked at him.

"Insolence? Last time I checked insolence meant being disrespectful to those with authority over you. Last time I checked, you have no authority over me. Take it up with _my_ government," I snarled back.

"I thought you would be a timid creature, easily controlled," the man approached me angrily.

"My brave side is slow-acting," I retorted, "Besides, I need to be pissed off to be fierce."

"Well, petulant girl, take care I don't see you here again," he snapped, "Stay in the school. Though you might not fare well there either. You might as well go home."

"And give in?" I laughed, almost hysterically, "Right. See ya."

I quickly turned around, and broke into a run over the hills before he could call me back. I soon cleared the village and entered a dark, brooding forest.

"Lumos," I mumbled under my breath, and my wand ignited. I held it out in front of me and slowly made my way between the branches, trees and bushes. Strange sounds filled my ears; roars and screams and growls and cries surrounded me and overwhelmed me with their pleading tones. I quickened my step through the forest, trying to conjure up some of the bravery I had just felt before the masked sentry, and found myself unable to.

The forest seemed to take forever to thin out; I felt sweat begin to form on my brow and hands as I avoided any and all mysterious shadows. When the trees finally were at acceptable distances from each other, I broke back into a run. I was eager to get out of this creepy arboreal local.

I soon reached more rolling, grassy hills. I could hear the hushed sounds of children speaking, the sound of shoed feet walking and running across pavement. A small hut met my vision first, surrounded by pumpkins, squash and other vegetables growing in almost monstrous proportions. The sound of a dog barking filled my ears, but it was comforting, familiar sound. I could also hear a very clear voice of a teenage boy, talking loudly, presumably to others. The boy sounded like he was around my age, and I turned in that direction, hoping for some sort of comfort or kind soul to take me in. I checked my disheveled appearance; and was disappointed with myself. My hair was messy and in a poofy ponytail, I had no ounce of makeup or magic on my face, my shirt was old and crummy (though with my favorite historical political cartoon on the front,) my jeans were faded and torn, and my sneakers were falling apart. My cloak was the only respectable thing about me, so I pulled it closed around my person. I walked towards the sound of the boy, which lead me around the quaint hut.

A boy, clad in red-gold-black robes, was standing up and speaking to a small group of fellow students. He had a round face with skewed teeth, and messy brown hair tousled about his face. His eyes were brown; I could tell from this distance; brown and alight with some sort of fiery passion. He waved his hands around him in fierce gesticulations as he spoke, and he spoke with an excited manner, attempting to rile his fellow students up. Next to him stood two girls, one was red-headed and freckled; the other was blonde and dressed eccentrically. The red head was also garbed in red-gold-black robes, and she supported bright brown eyes. The other girl wore blue-bronze-black robes, had long blonde hair, and had light grey eyes. She looked rather ethereal, and surprised at her appearance anywhere. As I approached, I heard both of them speak in assent to what the head boy was saying; the red-head spoke passionately, but with a hint of hidden pain behind her speech. The blonde spoke lightly, airy and like she didn't fully comprehend what was going on, though with surprising insight.

Sitting around them were other students, most in their late teens (as were they.) They were clad in black robes, either trimmed in blue-bronze, red-gold, or yellow-black. There didn't seem to be a disproportionate ratio of boys to girls, and they all seemed to be in agreement with what the head boy was saying. Some were younger students, who were more timid than the older ones. The older ones occasionally interjected the lead boy's soliloquy with their own comments. Most had accents in either British or Scottish (or variations such as Liverpoolian, Welsh etc.) though a few, including an older boy clad in the red-gold set, had Irish accents. All focused completely on the lead boy, or his two wingmen (wing-girls, I suppose.) That is, until they heard my approach.

Upon noticing the sound of footsteps, many turned around in alarm, their eyes wide with potential fear. The lead boy looked up as well, eyeing me suspiciously. However, he was in the minority; most of them looked relieved that it was, presumably, only this strange girl in disheveled attire walking towards them. But the lead boy, and the red-headed girl, watched me apprehensively as I approached the group.

"Who are you?" asked the red-headed girl, frowning at me and folding her arms in front of herself protectively.

I attempted to smile warmly, though my nature forbade such an act of assertiveness. I answered, "Maggie Johnson. Pleased to meet you," and I held out my hand to her. She, however, remained motionless.

"Where are you from?" the blonde girl asked breathlessly, with a light smile (uncommon with the others) upon her lips.

"America," I grinned, "Hence my lack of British-accent-ness."

The blonde girl nodded, and began to play with a radish attached to her ear as if it were an earring. The lead boy now spoke up.

"Why are you here? You must have realized that the country is in war," the lead boy asked coldly.

"Well," I snapped back, feeling my automatic defense coming on, "I thought it would be a good time to piss of the locals."

The face of the boy turned colder. One of the younger kids looked thoroughly frightened of me, and I sighed.

"Sorry," I muttered, "What I mean to say is, I didn't realize how bad it was, but now that I'm here I might as well stay here," I shrugged.

No one looked any less hostile, and I decided it was time for me to leave. The lead boy watched me go with the strangest facial expression; it was one of hostility mixed with fierce regret. I ignored it and walked away in a huff, scowling to myself. If I wasn't careful, I would have a fierce hatred of all things British.

I weaved between the throng of students, all of whom either ignored me or watched me with fearful curiosity. I ignored each and every facial expression as I climbed my way up to the front doors of the grand castle, which appeared even more grandiose when it was right in front of me. I opened the large oak doors and stepped inside a stoned, quiet front hall. The only students present walked past me as quietly as the dead, and they didn't even look at me. In the front of the hall stood a man, garbed in all black, with a rather lumpy appearance and a small sneer upon his face. Sick of dealing with hostile persons, I moved forward cautiously (uneager to speak with this frumpy person.)

"And who are you?" he demanded angrily.

"Maggie Johnson," I answered for what seemed like the millionth time, "Oh just read the letter." I handed him my permission form and crossed my arms in front of my chest irritably.

He read it quickly and threw the battered piece of paper back to me. "You have to go talk to the Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress. I have no authority over you," he growled in annoyance.

"Care to tell me where I could find one of these people?" I demanded in annoyance.

"The Deputy Headmistress should be on the first floor, in her office. Just ask a student," the man rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you a professor here?" I shot back, "Can't you tell me?"

"Professor as of only a few days ago," he snarled, "Now get out of my sight."

"Make me," I shot back, standing my ground and feeling my hands curl into fists.

"Why you little!" he stopped in his phrase, and his hand reached back to his robes as if to grab his wand.

"That is _quite_ enough, Amycus!" a cold voice called out from a door to the side of me. Out from it came two people, one a rather ugly woman who looked on admirably to Amycus, the other none other than Severus Snape. He was the one who had spoken, and the woman quickly ran to Amycus' side.

"This insolent little..." but Snape cut off Amycus' defense.

"I don't want to hear it! Is she a student?" the man retorted. Amycus sighed and shook his head.

He walked up to Amycus and hissed, in a manner that I was not supposed to hear it (but I did,) "The Dark Lord has strict orders regarding the treatment of foreigners. If she is here, her blood is clean enough to demand respect, and we are not to hurt her for fear of foreign intervention."

Amycus scowled, and said nothing. Snape turned to me now, the sneer still upon his face but not quite meeting his eyes.

"And why are you here?" he demanded in a calm, cold voice.

"Just read the damn piece of paper!" I muttered under my breath, handing the wrinkled form to him. He perused it, his eyebrows raised up, he handed it back, and beckoned for me to follow him. Amycus and the frumpy woman retreated into the shadows, and I silently followed Snape.

I was led up all of the stairs, and still no word was spoken. We went past the first floor, where a stern looking woman clad in green robes stood watching Snape suspiciously. She eyed me with raised eyebrows as I followed him silently, and she took to following us as well. Snape made no word to her approach, but acted as if it were expected as we all reached the seventh, and last, floor. He led us down the corridor, where students watched his approach nervously and became suddenly hushed. We stopped in front of an old gargoyle statue, which didn't seem to have anything interesting attributed to it.

"Undesirable Number One," Snape murmured softly. The stern looking woman scowled deeply behind me, and all of a sudden the gargoyle leapt aside. Behind it was a stone staircase. All three of us entered, though I in confusion, and the staircase began to move upwards as though it were a muggle escalator. When it stopped moving, we were in front of an oak door with a griffin-shaped handle. Snape opened the door and we entered a large office. Strange objects lay on the tables and in the cabinets, along with many books, and portraits of men and women hung all over the walls. An old, worn and brown wizard's hat lay on a shelf behind the main desk, along with a sword in a glass case.

"Headmaster," the way the woman behind me said it made even my blood run cold; her tone was filled with malice and anger, "Why is this girl here?"

"Just what I'd like to know, Professor McGonagall," Snape nodded, sitting behind the desk and turning to me with a nod.

"You realize I'm sick of explaining myself?" I asked in a soft tone, trying to disguise my irritation as best I could.

"I could tell by your thrusting of your permission form into my hand," he sighed, "But I want a full explanation. All this paper says is that you've cleared the Customs' Screening process and that you're permitted to enter and stay at the school as long as you'd like."

"My name is Margaret Natalie Johnson," I began slowly, so that no mistake could be made about any facet of my explanation, "You knew my mom, sir. I am eighteen years old as of yesterday. My mother is an American Wizarding Diplomat who was assigned to the embassy here. As my birthday present, she offered for me to come with. Since I have graduated from Salem, and have this year off before I begin training for my job, I accepted. I wish to learn more about other countries and their magical practices. At the Custom's office, my mother was sent to a screening and back home because she is a muggle-born," behind me, the stern woman made a small noise of horror under her breath and Snape's face almost changed from it's unpleasant look, "But I was allowed to continue on to my first destination, Hogwarts. I plan to stay here for a while, depending on how I like it. I love magic and learning about magic, and I want to learn whatever I can here. Though if all you people continue being cold, distant, and terrified of me every time I turn a corner, I probably should just go on to explore the Scottish lochs," I muttered irritably.

"I must insist that you don't," the woman insisted behind me, "I'd insist that you go home, but..."

"I do not believe I invited you in, Minerva," Snape replied coolly, "Please wait outside, if you wish to speak to our guest."

"And how will I know that you won't cast the Imperius Curse on her, making her your drone while she is here?" 'Minerva' replied angrily.

"I _think_," I paused pettishly, "Now, this is just a thought here, but I think I can take care of myself, ma'am. I _have_ graduated from Salem, and I got an O on my Defense against the Dark Arts ANEWT," I sighed in exasperation.

The woman paused, somewhat shocked, but not mad in the slightest. She thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"Just be on your guard," she warned, "I'll be back in a moment." Snape watched her go before speaking, his fingers drumming against his desk in what seemed to be agitation. Finally, the door closed behind Professor McGonagall, and Snape turned to me.

"You are Melinda's daughter? The older one?" he demanded. I nodded.

"Why did she agree to come here? Surely she knew the danger that there is for muggle-borns right now, she certainly understood when Albus told her..." Snape continued, his eyes narrowing.

"She's the only person who knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that you couldn't have possibly meant to kill Albus Dumbledore," I whispered softly. Snape's eyebrows raised.

"She still believes me, even though I killed him?" he asked in a tone of amazement that was very out of character for him.

"She believes that you and Dumbledore must have worked it all out beforehand, yes," I nodded, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"She's right," Snape paused, "But I've told no one this... I an acting as if I am truly on the side of the Dark Lord on Dumbledore's orders... Do you believe her?"

"My mom has to be extraordinarily shrewd because of her job," I paused, "She doesn't trust people easily. Hence, I trust her judgement deeply. So yes, I believe her," I nodded.

"Good," Snape was still frowning, "The reason she trusts me is something I do not talk about very much, of at all; I thank you for not forcing me to go into explanations as to why I switched sides in the first place, and would never dream of going back..."

"Why is that good?" I asked, looking puzzled, "Why do you need me to trust you?"

"I loathe," Snape scowled, "The looks of morbid respect I get from all on the Dark side, and the looks of pure hatred from all on Dumbledore's. Loathe, miss Johnson; though, if you ever tell anyone this... Certain things I do not divulge; weakness is one of them."

I nodded, "Um, but if you want to keep your cover..."

"I would deeply appreciate your not acting like my friend in front of anyone else," Snape paused, "As it is, I feel I must insist that you go home."

"Why?" I asked, my eyes narrowing in anger.

"You're half-blood, foreign, and from what your mother tells me, very reckless," Snape smirked, "I don't want you to get yourself killed. First, because I would take personal responsibility, second, because your mother would have my head."

"I am not going back," I spat, "I got through and I am here."

"It is much too dangerous..." Snape shook his head.

"You can't _make_ me leave," I countered, "Surely I could help?"

Snape sneered, "I could make your life in this castle a living hell until you saw reason and left..."

"Do you really want to fight me, Snape? Surely my mom told you how stubborn I am..." I grinned maliciously.

"Melinda did go on about it," Snape rolled his eyes, "Could you do me a favor, then?"

"Sure," I paused, "Since my mom can't help, I'll do my part. The Dark Lord is crazy."

"True enough," Snape nodded, "Though, may I ask why you are eager to help? Was that your intention on coming here?"

"No," I frowned, "I wanted to tour Great Britain and see how Hogwarts was different than Salem."

"This isn't how Hogwarts is usually," Snape sighed, "But I had to put in Death Eater teachers or else it would look suspicious to the Dark Lord."

"Speaking of, what do those two losers teach?" I asked scathingly.

"The man, Amycus Carrow, teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts. The woman, Alecto Carrow, teaches Muggle Studies. They are twins," Snape explained, "I beg you to not antagonize them too much."

"Right," I rolled my eyes, "Anyway, but now I just want to help because my mom can't anymore, and... I dunno. I see wizard pride and prejudice, as it were, to be the chief of idiocy... Plus, it would be the right thing to do I guess."

Snape nodded, "Well, you can certainly help. There is a gang of students on campus, calling themselves Dumbledore's Army. They are dedicated, in short, to fighting the Dark Lord in any way they can within the school. This mainly entails driving me crazy, though now, they are more liable to get into trouble with the Carrows."

"That would be bad, yes?" I asked.

"Very," Snape sighed, "All I ask is that you join their little gang, make suggestions, and try to get them in trouble with me rather than the Carrows."

"I can do that," I paused, "Describe them to me."

"The leader," Snape smirked rather maliciously, "Has taken up Harry Potter's mantle, as he is not here."

"Wait, Harry Potter isn't here?" I asked, shocked.

"Of course not you silly girl," Snape spat, but calmed himself down, "He is on the run from the Ministry. He also has a very important job to do to bring the Dark Lord down."

"Ok," I scowled, "So who took up his mantle?"

"Neville Longbottom," Snape smirked again, "Even I, who loathe them both, can admit he is rather below Potter's league in talent. At any rate, he's been getting, unfortunately, more sure of himself lately, and I fear he'll start overestimating himself and try to do more than he can handle."

"What does he look like?" I asked, rolling my eyes, though I had a funny feeling about who it was.

"Tall, round face and middle- though he's lost weight, I'll grant him that. Messy brown hair. Freckles. Terrible front teeth. Welsh accent. In gold and red robes, for Gryffindor, though how he got into the house when he was such a stuttering fearful first year..."

"And is he surrounded by an angry chick with red hair in red set robes and an airy sort of girl in blue and bronze robes?" I asked, cutting off his diatribe.

"Yes," Snape nodded, "Ginny Weasley, the former; Luna Lovegood, the latter. How did you know?"

"I met them on the grounds," I rolled my eyes, "Already had a bit of a spar with them."

"Do try and stay on their good side," Snape sighed, "Keep an eye on them for me."

"Can do," I nodded.

"And one last thing- stay out of trouble. If any harm comes your way your mother will have my head," Snape shivered, "She can and has been vicious towards me."

I grinned.

"Go, before Professor McGonagall has a conniption. Check in with me periodically!" Snape shooed me with his hand and I went back out.

Outside of the office door, waiting on the steps, stood Professor McGonagall. She didn't appear to have heard anything we said; she simply beckoned me forward.

"I'm checking to see if you've been put under..." but I cut her off before she could continue.

"The Imperius Curse? I can guarantee that I haven't been," I paused, "But if you must."

She performed a complicated series of incantations on me, all of which were uncomfortable feeling. Soon enough, she had finished, and was satisfied. She nodded at me, and we went down the stairs and back into the corridor.

"You must realize that this is a dangerous place to be in," she began, "Er..."

"Maggie Johnson," I sighed in exasperation, "Continue, please."

"This is a dangerous place and time for you, Miss Johnson. Surely you realized that when your mother was sent home?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Yeah, but I'm one of those really stubborn types," I grinned boldly. She rolled her eyes as we made our way down the moving staircases.

"Still, be on your guard at all times. What did the Headmaster," she spat the last word, "Have to say to you?"

I paused. Lie or tell the truth? I decided to go down the middle road.

"To watch myself, try to stay out of the way of teachers that won't like my presence (like the Carrows,) and check in with him," I shrugged, "Since he's responsible for me now."

"Check in with me, as well," Professor McGonagall nodded as we reached the first floor, and went down its corridor, "And do a favor for me."

"Shores," I shrugged, pronouncing _sure_ in my strange fashion.

"Watch Mr. Longbottom and his friends," McGonagall sighed, "He's a boy, about a year younger than you, who has taken a group of students and formed a group dedicated to rebellion against Snape, the Carrows, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's legions at large. I'm afraid they'll get themselves killed before the year's end."

"Can do," I nodded. It seemed like, despite loathing each other, McGonagall and Snape were on the same page. _Well, no matter how much this Neville Longbottom and his friends hate me now, they're going to be seeing a **lot** of me,_ I thought grimly.

"Good. This is my office," McGonagall pointed to a door on the first floor, "Check in with me often. Feel free to come to my class, too; and any other class you wish to. Here," and she led me into her office. She sat behind a desk that had a tin of cookies on it, and quickly wrote out a note. She handed it to me, and I read it quickly.

_To whom it may concern,Maggie Johnson is permitted to sit in on any class she likes, and may go wherever she likes in the castle and on the grounds whenever she likes. Please refer any complaints to me or the Headmaster, and do not punish her without consulting us first. ~Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

I nodded and pocketed the note.

"Also, do you have a place to sleep?" she asked calmly. I shrugged, not having thought about it yet.

"Well, let me see here..." she sat back and thought for a moment, "Will the Gryffindor Common room do? I'll write another note and speak to my house to give you space; I believe a magical room could even be crudely constructed. I insist on it being my house, however; that way you can watch Longbottom and the majority of his followers, as well as contact me more easily."

"Sounds fine," I shrugged, "Just for future reference, what _are_ the other houses?"

"Ravenclaw are in blue and bronze; Hufflepuff are in yellow and black; and Slytherin are in sliver and green. Try to avoid the last group; the other two should be fine. Gryffindors will be friendly enough soon enough," McGonagall smiled slightly, which didn't fit her stern face, "As will the other two groups after a while. But the Slytherins will _not_ be fast friends; I hate to give in to prejudices but most of them are either indifferent or sympathize with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's new regime."

"I'll keep it in mind," I nodded. McGonagall watched me for a moment, before finally nodding fully. She finished composing a second note, which just seemed to be a second permission form, and stood up.

"Good luck, Miss Johnson," McGonagall acknowledged as she held the door open for my leaving, "And just ask any person in the red-gold robes where the common room is and what the password is. Just show them that second note if they ask questions."

"Gotcha," I nodded, and turned to leave.

This _would_ be interesting...


	5. Ch 4: A Friend

Ch. 4 A Friend

_I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see  
__Painted faces fill the places I can't reach  
__You know that I could use somebody  
__You know that I could use somebody  
__Someone like you and all you know and how you speak  
__Countless lovers under cover of the street  
__~ Use Somebody by Kings of Leon_

For some reason, when I finally did go to sleep, no one was in the Gryffindor Common room. I only managed to get in because Professor McGonagall was on watch that night, and she saw me roam the hallways.

"Why are you still awake, Miss Johnson?" she asked calmly, eyeing me curiously. At the time I was trying to understand the inscription on one of the stone walls.

I jumped and turned around. In truth, I was only awake still because I wanted to familiarize myself with the entire castle. In order to not get lost, and therefore have to interact with students more than necessary, I tried to memorize the layout and where all the rooms were. It was a slow-going process, but I had about half the school down now. I would stick to that half in the morning.

"Exploring," I shrugged, averting my eyes. Though I wasn't a student, and technically allowed to be out whenever and wherever I wanted, I still felt as though I had done something wrong.

"Well, it is best you get to bed. I don't suppose you know where to go?" she asked with a sigh. I shook my head, and fought my hardest to control my yawn.

"Then follow me," she nodded, and she lead me down the corridor. I was currently on the second floor, and she led me over to the Grand Staircase. We went on a moving one, which took us up to the seventh floor. I followed her down this passageway to a portrait of a plump, pink-clad woman. She was napping against her frame, and upon hearing the voice of Professor McGonagall she awoke with a start.

"Please let miss Maggie," McGonagall motioned to me, "In whenever she pleases. I have declared her a temporary member of my house," she explained, "But doesn't need the password."

"Fine, fine," the fat lady muttered irritably, and swung open. I thanked McGonagall and went inside.

The giant chamber was decked out in red and gold hangings everywhere; they shown brilliantly in the light of a cozy fire blazing in a fireplace on the closest wall. Next to the fireplace were a couch and a few armchairs that were covered in scarlet upholstery. Beyond the armchairs were half a dozen wooden tables, surrounded by three wooden chairs each. There were even a few more crimson armchairs along the bright red and gold walls. Finally, in the back were two staircases, and between them was a door. Next to the door was a bulletin board. I walked towards the door curiously and looked at the bulletin board. Many notices were on there, including career possibilities, Quidditch announcements, schedules and new rules (some of them made me laugh, including one about a prohibition on Fanged Frisbees.) Finally, one giant notice was in the middle of the board that took my keen attention.

**Announcement**

**An American Student, Maggie Johnson, has come to visit our school**

**I trust that you all will be kind and courteous to her. She has completed her seven years at the Salem Witches' Institute and has a year for private study before she begins vocational training.**

**I have allowed her to stay in the Gryffindor Common room, in the new door to the left. Please do not disturb her when she requests it, and please make her feel welcome at all times. She is allowed anywhere and everywhere in this castle at all times. **

**~Professor McGonagall**

I stood there, stunned and touched by the announcement. I hadn't expected to be so well looked after when my mother left, especially since the country was more of a war zone than I had assumed. Not to mention, I was of the opinion that Hogwarts didn't get many foreign visitors.

I sighed and went into the small room, throwing my backpack on the ground and enlarging my meager suitcase. Against the wall was a small, comfortable looking bed, right next to a crystal window. The bed was covered in purple and aqua (my school's colors) sheets. There was a small desk and chair by a tiny fireplace that was currently unlit. I mentally reminded myself to thank the Professor when I saw her next.

I unpacked my pajamas, dressed, and got into bed. It had been an exhausting day.

I purposely postponed awaking as I heard students clamor above my head down the steps. _Thump, thump, thump!_ They went over and over, running and chatting and yawning and yelling down the steps. I heard many pause and mutter quietly outside my door. I didn't feel like interacting with any of them at the moment, so I threw the covers over my head and squeezed my eyes shut.

Of course it didn't work; I was never that lucky when it came to sleep. So I sat up and unpacked my things for my (expectedly) long stay. Once my clothes were in the small wardrobe (how British,) my books were in the small bookcase, my knick-knacks on the desk and my owl by the window, I sat down and wrote a letter to my father.

_Dear Dad,_

_See, look, I told you I'd write! Ha! It's only been a day since I've seen you! Not an uneventful day, to be sure. Yesterday I was questioned on my ancestry, of all things, and so was mom. She was sent home, she probably will be there today. But seriously, I thought all that muggle-born prejudice was archaic, you know, gone when we stopped getting scared by Muggles and their pointy swords. Ah well. I guess that's what you get along with the culture of Europe. Pros and cons. In America you get prejudice, a lack of advanced culture, but a heck of a good time. Slash gang violence.  
Anywho, I got to Hogwarts later on that day. Somewhat of a mixed reception. The Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress were all like, "okay you can stay but be careful there are bad people here!" and totally don't trust each other. The Headmistress was really nice, but the Headmaster was just as sarcastic as I am, which was fun. Then there are bunches of the Big-Snake-Guy's (Voldemort's) followers in the magical village and at Hogwarts. Don't worry, Dad, I got my wand on me at all times. Today I plan to explore, and maybe sit in on Transfiguration. God I love that subject. Maybe the Brits know something we don't (it's a possibility.) _

_Let Thailus know I miss flying. Also, let him know that I kind of would like a (dictated) letter from him when he gets home. I wouldn't want him to trying to write by himself! He would tear the paper. Say hi to Elena to me, and mom when she gets home. _

_Love,  
Maggie_

I sealed the letter, gave it to Euclid, and opened the window. He soared across the grounds and off to home, and I sighed watching him go. _There goes my companion_, I thought glumly. I turned back and decided to get dressed. I pulled on my jeans, t-shirt saying "Dragons are just evolved dinosaurs... with attitude," and pulled on a cloak. I then realized my terrible need to use the facilities, found none, and reluctantly opened my door.

The Common Room was mostly empty. Only a few older students sat by the fire, talking softly. One was the round-faced boy- Neville- that I had seen yesterday. He was next to the Irish boy from yesterday, along with a girl with dirty blond hair. They didn't look up immediately when I exited, (too engrossed in their conversation I expect,) so I quickly flitted up a staircase to search for a bathroom. I found one in the girls' bedroom, and I quickly entered it and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was disheveled, my face was a mess, and I needed to pee. After doing so, I quickly fixed my messy brown hair into a ponytail, straightening it with my hand magic (pure energy actually doesn't do much damage to hair, turns out.) I pushed my side bangs to their proper place, _just_ covering my right eye, and straightened that hair too. I fixed up my appearance magically, grumbling as usual about my height and weight (though I was tall, I wasn't _tall_, 5'8", and I was far too curvy for my liking in a world full of skinny people) but finding comfort in my teal eyes, which had once been bright green but had added a little blue. I fixed my clothing, stood up straight and proud, and walked back downstairs.

I was somewhat determined to walk right past the students, but unfortunately they noticed me this time. Neville looked up as I came down the stairs and frowned at me. The Irish boy and the girl looked up soon after, and both looked at me suspiciously. I sighed and looked away in annoyance, but then McGonagall's (and Snape's) request came back in my ears.

_Damn it_, I thought darkly. I turned on my heel and tried to smile; I admit I failed miserably and instead grimaced.

"Well, hello," I greeted in a falsely cheerful voice. _The Gryffindors will be friends with me soon enough, my arse_, I thought in annoyance. McGonagall must be an optimist at heart.

No one answered my greeting. The girl looked like she might, but then changed her mind and remained mute. The Irish boy's eyes bent into a glare. The lead boy's face actually did soften somewhat, but not enough to be _encouraging_ or anything half-decent like that.

"Erm, my name is Maggie..." I continued hopefully, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Neville's face softened completely; the Irish boy's face softened slightly and the girl finally spoke up.

"I'm Lavender Brown," she offered, "That's Neville Longbottom, and that's Seamus Finnigan," she pointed to each of the boys in turn. Neville smiled weakly, his brown eyes still flooded with mistrust. Seamus, who had sandy hair and green eyes, sighed almost reluctantly.

"Nice to meet you all," I mumbled softly, "What year are you in?"

"Seventh, all of us," Lavender continued; she seemed one for talking, "None of us are taking Transfiguration at the N.E.W.T. level, so we get this hour off."

"Ah," I nodded, feeling dejected that I had missed the 7th Year Transfiguration lesson. _Next week, perhaps_, I thought calmly.

"What is the next class for your house?" I asked calmly.

"All N.E.W.T students take classes together depending on their year," Lavender explained, "The next one is Potions. I'll be gone for that one, Neville and Seamus will still be here though."

"I'm dreadful at potions," Neville muttered in a somewhat friendly voice.

"I hate it, though I'm better than Neville," Seamus agreed.

"I'm not so good at it either, I dropped it after my A.O.W.L, though I got an A," I agreed.

"A.O.W.L.?" Neville asked softly.

"American Ordinary Wizarding Level," I explained, "We've got our own version for... certain reasons," I wrung my tattooed left hand nervously. I wasn't _technically_ forbidden to reveal the secrets of Hand Magic, but for some reason it seemed prudent to hide the information.

"So you have A.N.E.W.T.s instead of just N.E.W.T.s?" Seamus asked.

"Yup," I nodded, "Those were barrels of fun," I stuck out my tongue in distaste.

The students nodded and laughed in appreciation, undergoing what I had just gone through.

"What subjects did you take?" Neville asked curiously.

"Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defense against the Dark Arts, HM, DR, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes," I nodded.

"What are HM and DR?" Seamus asked suspiciously.

"Really annoying classes," I laughed, "With annoying names," I lied, "But I got an O in HM, and an O in DR, so they were obviously well taught."

They all looked at me suspiciously again. I sighed and tried to change the subject, "My favorite subject is tied between Care of Magical Creatures and Transfiguration. Though I do like Arithmancy and Ancient Runes," I smiled warmly, "I like to learn, I guess."

Neville smiled suddenly, "Do you like Herbology?" and Seamus let out a small groan behind him.

"Yeah, I do," I laughed, "Plants _are_ interesting, especially magical ones. Non magical ones... well, let's just say I pity muggle botanists."

Neville laughed in solidarity. Lavender groaned and Seamus muttered, "Please don't get him started on plants."

"So when do you guys have Defense against the Dark Arts?" I asked, "I'm a little curious to see the difference in the methods of teaching this subject. It's said that almost every country has a different way of teaching it, unlike things like Herbology which are pretty much the same everywhere."

"Well, usually it's a lot of fun," Lavender offered, "Most years. During our first year we had this stuttering fool that turned out to have You-Know-Who coming out the back of his head. Then in our second year we got this huge fraud, though he was _really_ attractive. Third year was awesome, we had this werewolf for a teacher but he was really good. Fourth year was good too, even though the teacher turned out to be a Death Eater in disguise we learned a lot. Fifth year was truly awful; we had this _toad_ of a teacher who didn't teach us _anything_," but Neville cut Lavender off.

"It was really bad, because that was the year You-Know-Who came back, and she wasn't teaching us anything, we just read her stupid book. So Harry Potter made this whole Defense Club where he taught us all this stuff we needed to know for our O.W.L.s, and it was epic. We've sort of started it again this year because we need some sort of resistance against Snape, the Carrows, and You-Know-Who," and Neville was cut off by Seamus.

"It's called Dumbledore's Army; it's really good and fun. And sixth year we probably should have had it, I mean, Snape was a good teacher but I don't feel like I learned anything. Most of the stuff he taught Harry had taught us the year before. And rumor has it Amycus Carrow is worse than Umbridge, our fifth-year teacher, because even though he teaches he teaches Dark Arts... or so the rumor goes," Seamus paused.

"I'm not surprised, he _is_ a Death Eater," Neville agreed.

"Well, I will be interested to see. I had the same teacher all seven years," I laughed, "She was good."

An awkward silence followed. It was clear that, even though I had not acted like a bitch, they still didn't trust me. So I sat down in a chair and read a book that I had on me, _The Evolution of Life, Magical and Mortal_ by Truman Vreeland. The three didn't resume their discussion in front of me (Seamus returning to eyeing me suspiciously) but instead engaged in a game of Exploding Snap.

Time ticked on slowly, and soon enough I heard a ringing bell and the shuffle of footsteps far off in the distance. The three got up and stretched, Seamus putting away his cards.

"Where are you headed?" I asked Neville curiously.

"Defense against the Dark Arts," Neville laughed, "Come on, follow us."

I did so, weaving my way through the students along with them as they talked happily amongst themselves. I couldn't hear a word of their conversation, and they seemed able to tell; the other students were so loud and rambunctious that you couldn't hear yourself think above the din.

We soon reached a small, dark, foreboding door. A bunch of other older teenagers crowded around it. Another girl clad in red-and-gold, who looked identical to the girl clad in blue-and-bronze next to her, waved at Neville, Seamus and Lavender. Both girls were dark in complexion; they looked rather Indian. There were many other students, including four in the silver-and-green set; two were burly and ugly boys, one was a blonde and scrawny boy; the last a pug-faced, unattractive looking girl.

"And are you the American half-blood everyone is talking about?" the blonde asked menacingly.

"Guilty," I laughed calmly, "Though the fact that everyone knows me is a surprise."

"Just watch yourself," the boy spat, "Wouldn't want to see your pretty little head get bit off by a snake."

"Wouldn't want your little blonde head get smeared with dirt," I grumbled in annoyance when the boy turned his back.

The door slowly opened, and the frumpy man from yesterday stepped out.

"Come in, ya brats; come in before I hex your heads off," he grumbled in annoyance, "Why are you all just standing there?"

"Because the door looked interesting," I muttered under my breath. No one heard my witty comment, or chose not to acknowledge it; they all filed in quietly. I took a seat at the back of the room to avoid detection. The Gryffindors sat in the middle of the room, ignoring me now; I suppose it was too much to ask for more than fifteen minutes of kindness. The Slytherins sat in front, the Ravenclaws also in the front, and the Hufflepuffs filled in the back. None paid attention to me, of course. I'm just not that interesting.

"This year, you will be learning a proper Dark Arts class," Amycus hissed through his breath, "None of this Defense rubbish. We will start the year learning the Imperius Curse, other control curses, and move on to the Cruciatus Curse and other torture curses after the Christmas Holidays."

I sucked in a breath. So they weren't kidding, this guy was nuts.

"Now, get your arse up here, someone, and tell me what the hell the Imperius Curse is," Amycus roared. The students all cowered before him, including the blonde kid; only the two thugs remained unaltered.

"It controls people," one Ravenclaw muttered meekly, "Makes them do what you want them to."

"Right. Now this is obviously useful to the Dark Lord," Amycus laughed, "Makes his job a bit easier. Not enough people trust him, see? Rather impossible to block, too, so..." but I cut him off.

"That's a lie," I called from the back of the room. Amycus looked at me like I was annoying gnat that couldn't be swat. Everyone else's mouths dropped open.

"The Imperius Curse can be blocked with a powerful countercharm," I continued, "The reason why it's hard is because it's rather difficult to know when you're about to be Imperiused, obviously. But the incantation itself is not difficult; it just takes practice like anything else. Instead of..."

"That's enough, American bitch," the professor snapped.

"Just because you want all these people to be able to be Imperiused by you whenever you feel like..." I countered.

"_Enough_!" he roared, "Crucio!"

I ducked away from the crudely cast curse, falling underneath the desk. He regained his breathing and stood up.

"Right then, back to _my_ lesson," he began, but I wasn't going to let some brain-washed bastard cast an Unforgiveable Curse at me and get the bleep away with it.

"_Langlock_," I cast, shooting the spell at Amycus. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, preventing him from speaking. Seamus actually burst into applause.

"Anyways, the counter-curse for the Imperius Curse is _Identinum Retainio. _In casting it, it's crucial to point your wand at _yourself_, rather than your opponent. It's like a shield against the spell," I paused, "Watch me." I pointed the wand to my chest and said, "_Identinum Retainio_," and I felt a strange warmth curse through my veins.

"And that should protect me for a good half-hour. Unfortunately, once it wears off you can't re-cast it for a good twenty four hours; otherwise it won't work effectively. That's why it's important to only cast it when you feel there's a good chance you're going to get Imperiused," I paused, "Any questions?"

The annoying blonde boy raised his hand, and talked without my permission.

"I don't think my _father_ hired _you_ to teach this class..." but I cut him off.

"But what your teacher was saying was complete bull shit," I argued, "And wouldn't you rather learn the real thing?" Most of the students nodded.

Eventually, however, the langlock curse wore off, and Amycus began screaming his head off.

"You no-good, half-blood, foreign bitch from hell! I'll kill ya!" he roared as soon as his tongue could move properly.

"Fine, do it. I'd like to see what my government would do to you. But that's just me," I shrugged.

He continued to fume for a good twenty-five minutes before regaining himself.

"Anyway, maybe that witch's charm works, but it's not perfect, as she said. So anyway, the Imperius curse is quite useful..." but I cut him off again.

"For evil," I countered, but he ignored me.

"In controlling the masses. We can't have a good regime without control..." and I cut off Amycus again.

"Oh look, it's Hitler all over again!" I growled, "Control, control, control! Off with the Jews! Yay Blonde hair and blue eyes!" I snorted.

"And by making some... unwilling personages our minions we can have a better fighting force," and once again, I cut of the bastard.

"Minions! Wow! That's awesome. Let's just take away free will. No wonder America wanted to be its own country, if all British are control freaks! You know, the spell_ does_ wear off!" I hissed.

"You shut up!" he roared.

"MAKE ME!" I screamed back, feeling flustered and furious. Why was I here, to hear such blatant lies?

"I'LL SEND YOU TO THE HEADMASTER, I WILL!" he yelled.

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!" I laughed, holding my wand out in front of me.

All the students watched us with engrossed, fearful faces. Neville's eyes were wide and somewhat scared, Seamus looked both amazed and terrified, and Lavender was biting her fingernails.

"Who do you think you are, to brainwash these kids?" I snorted, "Why should _you_ get to decide what they know and what they don't know? Isn't learning all about trying to know as much as you can, to dispose of ignorance?"

"I don't know what sort of stuck-up attitude you have, half-blood, but it certainly will not be tolerated one second longer," Amycus hissed, "Get out of my sight."

"I'm allowed to be wherever I wish. If you curse me again," I sneered, "Then I'll tell Snape, and you _will_ be in trouble."

"Then be prepared for trouble," Amycus whispered in a deadly voice.

"Oh, I've been prepared for trouble since I was born," I laughed, "Continue with your... uh, this doesn't count as a lesson. Continue with your pontification and brain-washing," I laughed.

Amycus glared at me for one minute too long. The bell rang, and all the students quickly gathered up their books and left. Most left without another word; but Neville, Seamus and Lavender all quickly ran up to me.

"You okay? Did he hit you with the curse?" Neville asked breathlessly.

"Why did you _do_ that?" Seamus asked incredulously.

"You're amazing!" Lavender breathed.

"No he didn't hit me, I'm fine, I did that because I can't stand that sort of brainwashing, and thanks," I laughed. Amycus glared at us furiously as we quickly left the room.

"So, what class is next?" I asked cheerfully.

The week went on slowly. I had decided to show up in the middle of the week, and Friday (the fifth) came up slowly and ominously. I had talked briefly with Seamus, Neville and Lavender yesterday, but other than that they mainly left me to my own devices. I attended multiple classes (and enjoyed them,) and avoided the Carrows as much as possible.

Early this morning (the fifth,) Professor Snape called me down to his office. I went obligingly, planning to attend the Muggle Studies 7th Year Class in the afternoon. I climbed up the steps, murmured "Undesirable Number One," and entered his office calmly.

"You asked for me, Professor?" I murmured sweetly, but sarcastically at the same time.

"Of course I did. Yesterday Amycus barged into my office screaming his head off," Snape paused, "Care to explain?"

"Well, he was brainwashing kids," I shrugged, "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Try to keep your head down!" Snape snapped, "I can't be constantly watching out for you, and Amycus and Alecto will stop caring about American relations soon enough!"

"I have to do what I think is right," I muttered in annoyance, "Or I can't live with myself."

Snape sat back, rubbed his forehead and sighed. A long pause ensued.

"I understand that; you're you," Snape paused, "What I gathered from Amycus is that you revealed 'forbidden information,' aka things that will make the Dark Lord's regime that much harder to enforce. Well done. I don't know what to do about the Carrows' teaching style; all I can do is make sure their punishments are mitigated. And I suppose you're just doing what you have to do to help ease the blow the Carrows give," Snape sighed in annoyance, "Well, just be careful. I hear that you intend to listen to a Muggle Studies class this afternoon?"

"That is correct, sir," I nodded, "I consider myself an expert on muggles, for many reasons."

"That's taught by Alecto," Snape paused, "And I hear she's just as bad as Amycus. _Do_ try to hold your tongue?"

"If I hear a blatant lie..." but Snape cut me off.

"Just don't have unforgiveable curses casted at you, is all I ask," Snape sighed, "You may go."

I got up and left the office just as the bell rang. I reached Muggle Studies and sat behind Neville, who smiled briefly at me before turning away.

Alecto came in, grumbling to herself. When she saw me, her eyes bugged out in annoyance but she said and did nothing else. I sat with my hands folded, ready to contradict any lies and reinforce any truths, like I'd been doing all week.

"Welcome to Muggle Studies," Alecto paused, "I know most of you have never taken this class before, and I must confess you haven't lost a thing. In this class you will learn 'bout the myths of muggles that the Old Ministry tried to teach you, the horrors and idiocies of muggles, and their proper place in our new Regime. Any questions?"

I didn't dare raise my hand yet; prudence saves lives.

"Good. Now, muggles are a truly different species from us wizards and witches; they are stupid and crude and animal-like, where we are smart and crafty," Alecto paused, looking at me for a contradiction. I felt it bubble beneath the surface, but did not let it break.

"For example, muggles consider the latest thing to be a big box that shows moving pictures," Alecto laughed, "Whereas we of the Higher Order developed such things _on paper_ years and years ago. Muggles speak in grunts..."

"Maybe if you'd actually talk to one you'd know how they speak," I laughed, "They speak regular English or French or Spanish or whatever they speak where they're from."

"Shut up," she hissed, "As I was saying, they communicate in primitive grunts, and are (overall) stupid. Most do not recognize anything magical going around them, showing their stupidity."

"It would have been nicer to complement the Magical Government than insult the muggles," I muttered. She continued like I hadn't spoken.

"They need no magic in their lives, showing their crudeness; they'd rather sit in their own filth than advance their species," Alecto cackled.

"Wow, then what's _that_ all over your body? Someone _else's_ soil?" I sighed.

"Shut up!" Alecto said again, "And they have no advancement of useful knowledge..."

"_Science_ isn't useful?" I groaned, "Biology and Evolution and Chemistry and Quantum Theory and Physics and Relativity aren't _useful_?" I stood up in anger.

"They matter little," Alecto hissed, "We have known about them for centuries..."

"Not evolution! That was discovered by a muggle, you idiotic..." but she cut me off.

"And it is of little consequence to us, besides proving that our higher order is natural!" she laughed.

"Oh bull shit! _In case you haven't noticed, there are more muggles than wizards_!" I screeched, "And that would, generally, mean that _they are more successful!_"

"Just because they drove us into hiding," Alecto roared, "Besides, that's all over now!"

"I'd like to see you try to murder the entire muggle population of Britain without getting noticed," I snorted, "In case _you_ haven't noticed, there are a _lot_ of muggles, _everywhere!_"

"Just because your grandparents were muggles, half-blood, doesn't mean that they're important," Alecto whispered in a dangerous voice.

"So, how much muggle blood do _you_ and _your brother_ have?" I murmured back, just as dangerously and softly.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Alecto screeched. The curse hit me briefly in the face, causing a scar to run down my cheek, but I quickly blocked it and healed the wound.

I left the class then, realizing that prudence dictated retreating to safety. I went up to the Common Room and read my book, muttering to myself.

Neville arrived only a few minutes after the bell rang. I looked up at him in surprise; he was out of breath and leaning on his knees.

"Neville, what..." but he cut me off.

"Are... you... okay... that... was... brilliant," he panted.

"Thanks... are _you_ okay? You must have run the whole way!" I laughed, standing up to help him if need be.

"I'm... fine," he exhaled, "Just need... to breathe. But you! Wow! I would... I wish _I_ had... such bull... wow!" Neville grinned in appreciation.

"I'm glad _you're_ glad that I stood up to her," I paused, "But seriously, Neville, breathe!"

"How... would you like... to join... Dumbledore's Army?" he asked, "Seamus and... Lavender and I all agreed that you deserve to be in it," Neville paused, "If you want."

I thought for a moment, Snape and McGonagall's requests ringing in my ears.

"Sure, Neville," I smiled, "Glad to know you trust me now."

"Of course," he rolled his eyes, "Only a true Gryffindor would stand up to her."

A/N: I know in the books, Neville originally made that comment, but I figured it worked better here. Also, please review! I love feedback!


	6. Ch 5: Dumbledore's Army

Ch. 5 Dumbledore's Army (Still Recruiting)

_There ain't nothing in this world for free._

_I know I can't slow down,_

_I can't hold back,_

_Though you know, I wish I could_

_No there ain't no rest for the wicked,_

_Until we close our eyes for good_

_~ Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant_

Time is a quickly moving entity; the next few months at Hogwarts passed by in a blur of new sensations, new friends, new laughs, and new excitement. The next event of consequence occurred in early December; until then everything blurred together, though many events stood out in my mind.

If this were a muggle movie, then the appropriate background music for these events would be a training montage. Unfortunately, it is not a muggle movie, and I'll be forced to make do with music playing in my head. The muggle band Smashing Pumpkins comes to mind.

Two weeks after my arrival, or something akin to that, Neville was speaking to our fellow members of Dumbledore's Army, outside of Hagrid's Hut. I sat attentively next to Seamus in the front row, Lavender sitting on the other side of me and chatting amicably with Parvati Patil next to her. Seamus was slowly becoming a kinder, more amiable person to me; I was counting him as one of my closer friends here at Hogwarts already.

Neville was quietly conversing with Ginny Weasley, the red-headed girl, as Luna Lovegood, the blond girl, played with a lock of her hair.

"So Maggie, what are you doing tomorrow?" Seamus asked conversationally as we waited for Neville to start speaking.

"I dunno," I paused, "Maybe read or something. Why? Any special Hogwarts ritual I should attend?" I joked.

"Only Quidditch practice," Seamus laughed, "Though with no Harry... it won't be very eventful," Seamus shrugged.

"Eh, Quidditch... why not," I rolled my eyes, "Sure, I'll come."

"Awesomeness," Seamus grinned. Neville turned back to the small group of kids and began to speak. His eyes were alight with a strange passion; it was the kind of fiery purpose that I admired more than any other quality in a person. He knew what he was doing was important, and marveled in the importance. He drank in the responsibility like a dehydrated man would water.

"So, everyone," Neville called loudly to stop the chatting, "We need to do something to warn the Carrows, and Snape, that we mean business, that we aren't just idle kids talking up a storm with empty words. We need to do something, maybe not major, but something that sends a message. Any ideas?"

"We could send exploding flowers to the Carrows that would blow up every time they said something stupid," Lavender offered.

"Is there such a spell?" Neville asked in amusement.

"Not that I know," Terry Boot sighed.

"Ah well. Good idea, but not going to happen, Lavender. Any other ideas?" Neville asked.

"We could write messages on the walls," Ginny mentioned, "Such as _Dumbledore's Army_. Though Filch could clean it off, we could make enough to be truly annoying."

"Ooh!" I gasped in excitement, standing up. Everyone watched me questioningly and silently.

"Back in America," I began, "There's this muggle paint that can seriously _not_ be removed by magical means. It's insanely permanent, and all magical mess removers- even British cleaning products- don't work on it. If anyone's found in possession of it at Salem they're in big trouble," I laughed, "It's so awesome! I bet there's some in Britain, too."

"What is it?" Neville asked curiously.

"It's a certain brand of spray paint. Here, wait a second," and I pulled out my wand and murmured, "Accio Spray Paint!" while envisioning the paint clearly in my head.

A few bottles soared quickly towards me and landed in my hands in the basic colors: red, green, yellow, blue. I grinned and tossed one to Neville, another to Ginny, and another to Luna, keeping the pretty aqua blue one for myself.

"Cool, emerald green," Luna laughed.

"Nice, red," Neville nodded.

"Yellow, awesome," Ginny smiled warmly at me.

"We can use this to spray-paint the walls," I explained, "I think only a few of us should go, and at night, but being quiet of course."

"We'll go," Neville nodded, "Though, Luna, would you mind if Seamus came instead of you? That way we can coordinate in the Gryffindor common room."

"Not at all," Luna shrugged, "I've never cared much for night wandering."

"Bloody hell," Seamus laughed; catching the can as Luna gently tossed it, "So much for being awake tomorrow morning."

"So we'll coordinate tonight. Don't worry, guys, we'll all have a chance to spray paint," Neville smiled at the other members of Dumbledore's army, all of whom looked rather annoyed to not have been chosen. They shrugged, and all dispersed. Seamus, Ginny, Neville and I grouped together. All three watched me expectantly.

"Well, basically, we'll need face masks," I paused, "The fumes of spray paint actually inflict really bad damage on the lungs that's almost impossible to remove magically, and wrapping a bandana around your mouth does the trick. We'll need to move quietly, and know what and where we're going to spray. Any ideas?"

"Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting?" Neville offered.

"Nice," Ginny nodded.

"How about near Snape's office?" Seamus asked, "Send the message straight to the source."

"I am a fan," I grinned in excitement, "Tonight, then?"

"We'll meet outside your room, Maggie. I hope you can make these 'bandanas,'" Neville laughed.

I rolled my eyes, and we all headed back up to the castle. As Ginny went to Charms, and Neville and Seamus headed off to Herbology, I went to my room and began to conjure up a few cloth bandanas. I folded them up next to the spray paint and sat on my bed, reading a book quietly. I had not yet gotten back Euclid or a message from my father or mother or sister or Thailus. I was a little ticked at the lack of contact.

The evening came and went, and soon it was just the four of us sitting in the common room. Seamus looked excited, the light of the fire gleaming off his blue eyes. Ginny was lounging on the couch, her eyes lost in something that I couldn't quite fathom. Neville had looked a little nervous at first, but was now pacing with impatience for a later hour to come. I was crouching in an armchair, staring at my fingernails. They were oddly long, so I began biting one of them in annoyance.

"Well, its midnight," Seamus finally said, "Let's do this thing."

"Okay guys," I stood up and tossed around the spray paint cans to each person, along with a bandana, "Remember, move quietly, keep your mouth covered at all times, and follow my lead. I'm allowed out now, but you guys aren't, so if I hiss _hide_, go without question," I paused, "Anything else?"

"What if we get caught, or told on?" Ginny asked calmly.

"I'll take the heat, guys, since they really can't do much to me," I shrugged.

"No," Seamus stood up quickly, "We'll _all_ take the heat. Don't be a hero," he rolled his eyes.

"Okay, sheesh," I laughed, "Fine. Let's go, then?"

All nodded, and we sneaked out together into the dark corridor. I stood in front, as all three tied on their bandanas clumsily. I nodded and waved us on forward. We crept down the hallway, trying to not make too much noise with our shoes on the cobblestone ground. We snuck down to the stone gargoyle, and I sighed quietly to myself.

_Sorry, Snape_, I paused in my thought, _I'm keeping the kids out of trouble... they need me for this._

I motioned for the others to follow me around the corner, and we set to work. I pulled my bandana up over my mouth, showed the others to shake the can, and began to paint the letter _D_. Neville immediately shook his can and sprayed a _U_. Ginny hesitantly followed next to him with the _M_, and soon enough Seamus began his _B_. When I finished spraying out the _D_, I moved over next to Seamus and sprayed out an _L_, and Seamus turned to look at me. The smile he bore underneath his bandana contorted it, and I grinned back.

It was slow work, and the sound of the spraying seemed so loud I was jumpy. Filch, or one of the Carrows, could have shown up at any moment. I wasn't used to breaking rules, but the thrill of it was absolutely liberating. Knowing I was helping out in a resistance, in a _righteous_ resistance, was amazing.

Soon the entire message was finished, a multicolor blur of crimson, gold, emerald and aqua. Neville looked satisfied, Ginny looked thoroughly amused, and Seamus looked excited. I smiled and I beckoned for them to follow me. We still had time, in my mind, to do another one. All three seemed to be of the same mind as we journeyed down to the dungeons, near the Slytherin Common room.

"We'll do, _Dumbledore's Army is Watching_," I hissed, amused with myself. The others giggled quietly and we set to work, trying to stifle yawns that were much too loud. The spraying and clicking of the cans as they were shaken echoed in the gloomy dungeons.

When we were done, we all nodded to each other and flitted to the Common Room. Ginny let out a giant yawn as we crept inside, and practically ran up the stairs as she waved in farewell to us. Seamus and Neville took the time to untie their ties and put them around their cans.

"We'll save these, yes?" Seamus asked, a yawn escaping his throat.

"Yes, mhm," I nodded, rubbing my eyes. Seamus grinned at me and went upstairs, but Neville lingered a moment.

"We couldn't have done that without you, you know," Neville paused, smiling at me warmly.

"Thanks," I laughed, "I'm glad to know that I am of service here."

He laughed a little, but sighed, "I'm sorry for... for how we all treated you before."

"Nah, it's okay," I shrugged, "I understand why you guys aren't the most trusting group at the moment."

He shook his head and frowned, "It wasn't... I feel ashamed of myself, honestly."

"Don't," I laughed, "We're friends now, right? It's all good."

He smiled a little, "Yes, friends. Well, it's probably best that I go to sleep now. Night, Maggie."

"Night, Neville," I smiled back warmly, "I'll see you tomorrow." His eyes lit up slightly, his grin grew larger, and he slowly walked off to his room. I entered mine and laid on the bed, too exhausted to even change into my pajamas.

The next day, Snape called me down to his office almost immediately after breakfast. I was sitting with Neville and Seamus at the time, and both looked at me with sad, weary faces. I had known this was coming, however, and I stood up without any real qualms. Snape beckoned me, and we quietly went down to his office. As we passed the graffiti, I couldn't help grinning broadly with pride. Kids nearby pointed to it and laughed quietly, afraid to laugh any louder than necessary in Professor Snape's presence.

We entered his office, and he looked at me with deeply sad eyes. I watched him curiously.

"Sir, I'm sorry about the graffiti," I began immediately, "The kids were going to do it anyway, and I needed to make sure they didn't get caught..."

He waved off my concern with his hands, "I am not upset, though you may invoke the wrath of Filch and the Carrows... as usual."

I grinned happily at my accomplishments of the past two weeks.

"I am afraid I have... bad news for you, Maggie," Snape paused, "Please, sit down."

I eyed him questioningly. It was strange for Snape to act... well, kind, to anyone. I was curious at first, but I sat down obligingly. He stared at me for a long time, his black eyes hesitant.

"I received two letters today," he paused, "One from the Ministry of Magic, addressed to me. The other is to you, from your father. Both concern you," Snape sighed, "As Headmaster, I am obliged to read all mail that comes in and out of the school. I apologize," he paused, "But I feel that part of both letters is... something that is better said aloud, than read," Snape swallowed.

"What is it...?" I asked anxiously.

"Well... you are of the opinion that your mother returned home, to your father?" Snape paused

"Well, yeah, that's what they said would happen..." I raised my eyebrows suspiciously.

"They lied to you," Snape paused, "Your mother was... murdered by the government."

I watched him blankly, the words not registering in my head. Mom was... murdered? By a government? That made absolutely no sense. She was a peaceful diplomat... an ally... a force for good...

"This letter from the ministry," Snape quickly began while the look on my face continued to be blank, "States that your mother was killed because of her radical ideas, which could harm the country, and because of her parentage. This letter from your father I perused... well, this is what it said."

I barely heard Snape as he said, "_Dear Maggie, I am afraid that your letter reached me at the same time as a kind notice from an insider at the Wizarding Ministry of Magic. Your mother is dead, killed by the new regime in place in England. A man named Arthur Weasley notified me of this. I wish you to come home, immediately, because this is clearly worse than I had imagined in my wildest nightmares. Thailus came back as soon as I told him, and he said that if you don't come back within two weeks he's going to fly over and get you himself! Please come home... Dad_"

I continued to stare at Professor Snape blankly. Mom was... dead? No. It couldn't be. It wasn't humanely possible.

I turned around silently and left, not even saying a word about my owl or the letter or anything. I quietly left, walking down the stairs and going through the corridors. Many people ignored me, as I was used to. But I passed by Neville and Seamus on their way to Herbology.

"Hey, Maggie, are you okay? I bet Snape really..." but Seamus stopped talking at whatever facial expression I must have had on my face.

I quietly entered the Gryffindor common room, and climbed into my chamber. I laid myself down on my bed, but I didn't sleep. I stared up at the ceiling, my eyes wide open, unable to comprehend anything.

My mother was dead.

Mom was dead.

Mommy wasn't waiting for me at home, or in a foreign office waiting to work on a mission.

Mommy was gone.

I don't know how long I stayed in there. I just lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, ignoring the whispers outside my door and the murmuring upstairs, refusing to acknowledge the wrapping knocks and the footsteps above my head. The sky grew dark, and then light again, and then dark again. I must have slept. I don't know what I did about going to the bathroom... perhaps I soiled myself, cleaned it up magically, and continued on. I certainly didn't eat, and only drank water from the _augamenti_ spell.

My mother could not be dead. It was like saying that the sun had stopped being a big ball of exploding gas. It was like saying that Thailus no longer had wings. It was like saying that Shakespeare never wrote a play. Impossible.

Impossible.

Impossible!

_Impossible..._

I suppose, after the day and night had exchanged places five times, I managed to regain consciousness of facts.

1. My mother was dead, killed by an oppressive regime that wished to, for some reason; rid the world of muggle-borns.

2. My father wanted me to go home, and was willing to allow Thailus to bring me home

3. Thailus wanted me home just as much

4. My mother was unjustly killed

5. I could help avenge her.

I sat up, and noticed that someone was gently knocking on my door. I listened quietly as I heard a familiar voice say, "Maggie? Maggie, please, come out... we're all so worried about you." I watched the door curiously, waiting for Neville to speak again.

"C'mon, Maggie, we know... we know you're hurting," Seamus had paused while another voice hissed at him in anger, "We know you're upset, but please... please come out."

I bit my lip and thought about it. It was a tempting proposition, however... what did they know about me? That I was some rebellious, out-of-school American girl who liked to spray paint on walls. Why in the hell would I go out for a bunch of hand-magic-less, ignorant...

"Please, Mags," Neville murmured next to the door frame, and the sounds of the other students mumbling quickly left, "Please..."

I watched the door for another moment. Something about his tone of voice struck a chord within me. Did he actually... give a crap?

I walked over to the door and hesitated. Open it, and go back out there, or stay in here and get ready to leave?

"Well... okay, I guess I'll... I'll come back again tomorrow..." his voice was very, very small and sad. I walked over to the door and wrenched it open.

Neville was staring at me in shock, his eyes wide and amazed. I must have looked awful, but I didn't really care. I said nothing to him, and stalked past the large group of people in front of the door to the Common Room- Professor McGonagall, Seamus, Lavender, and Ginny- and went out into the hallway. I stomped down through the corridors until I reached Professor Snape's office.

The gargoyle loomed in front of me, and I snapped, "Oh just move aside!" and it did so. I ran inside of Snape's office and slammed the door behind me.

"Ah, Maggie, you have emerged..." Snape paused as I screamed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I emerged, whatever, fuck this! I can't believe that you're idiotic enough to think... whatever. God dammit! How could they fucking _do_ that to a woman they don't even KNOW?" I screamed loudly. Snape watched me calmly as I continued to scream in his face, "God DAMMIT! I am going to get them back for this if it is the last fucking thing that I ever do! They will not know what _hit_ them!"

Snape looked oddly satisfied at my screaming match. I was glaring at him, breathing heavily and feeling tears (my first) leak out of my eyes.

"How come I'm not surprised?" he laughed, "At any rate, go and clean yourself off. You must not have bathed at all for these five days. And please, for the love of all that is good and holy... talk to your friends. They've been in hysterics all week." I nodded and quickly left his office. I stalked off to the Gryffindor Common Room, which was miraculously empty, and went up to the girl's dormitory. I _was _a mess... my hair was everywhere, and tangled; the front of my clothes was messed up, probably because I hadn't left my room to go to the bathroom; and I smelled. I took a shower and quickly fixed myself, cleaning off my clothes with a small wave of my hand.

I walked back downstairs and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I went into my room and fixed everything, cleaning my bed sheets with the snap of my fingers. I pulled my sapphire-blue dragon necklace on over my head, put my black fishnet arm-length no-finger-sleeves gloves on, and grinned to myself.

_It's badass time_, I thought angrily. The Death Eaters, and Voldemort, had picked the wrong bitch to piss off. I changed my clothes into a black tank top, dark jeans, and a grey sweatshirt. When I reentered the Common Room, Professor McGonagall, Seamus and Neville were all watching my door anxiously.

"They will not know what fucking bear they just poked," I hissed angrily.

"Hell yes!" Seamus cried eagerly, pumping his fist in the air. Neville slapped him upside the head in annoyance.

"Are you sure, Miss Johnson?" Professor McGonagall asked kindly, "I wouldn't blame you if you went home, to your family..."

"Hell no," I paused, "Though my father, and my... Thailus... want me to, I can't do that. My mother would want me to avenge her," I paused, "And I will be god dammed if I don't do what's right."

Seamus looked like he was going to cheer again. Professor McGonagall sighed and nodded.

"Well, I will see you later. I have a class to teach," and she left without another word. Neville walked up to me anxiously.

"We've been pounding on your door all week... did you notice?" he asked, a haunted look filling his eyes.

"Well... no," I paused, "I was pretty much catatonic until today.

Seamus cursed under his breath, and Neville tentatively reached his arms out. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm giving you a hug," he laughed nervously. I raised my eyebrows, but hugged him tightly. I needed that. Plus... he smelled nice.

"C'mon," Neville smiled, "It's time for dinner. You must be starving."

I nodded, and followed them out of the room.

The next day, I was walking outside along the Forbidden Forest, my head lost in thought. While I believed that my mom would have wanted me to stay and fight, there was a nagging part of me- my dad, no doubt- that was hissing in my ear that I would meet a similar fate. I tried to ignore it, keeping to my principles, though- how could I do that to my dad? Thailus? Elena?

As I walked along the forest, I ran into Ginny, who was sitting in Hagrid's pumpkin patch, scratching his dog Fang behind the ears.

"Hi Ginny," I smiled, coming to sit next to her.

"Hi Maggie," she smiled warmly, "How are you doing?"

I shrugged, frowning at the ground.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern playing across her features.

"I miss my mom, but besides that... I guess I am wondering if it's really worth it for me to stay here," I whispered.

"And keep fighting?" Ginny asked sympathetically.

"Yeah," I paused, "I'm just thinking of the rest of my family... And how devastated they'd be if they lost me too..."

"I know exactly what you mean," Ginny nodded fervently.

"You do?" I asked in amazement, "But you've always been against Voldy, fighting..."

"Yeah," Ginny paused, "But look at George, my dad, Ron Harry and Hermione wherever they are... My mum is under so much stress and worry and, technically, I am underage. I have just as much of an excuse to keep silent. But... The more I seriously consider the idea, the more it is clear. I have to fight."

"Yeah," I agreed softly, "We do. What is it you people say? Oh yes. Keep calm and carry on."

Ginny laughed, "Yup! Now come on. The DA is meeting in a mo'."

We walked over to the field next to the Whomping Willow, where most everyone was already assembled. Neville and Luna grinned and waved at us from a ways off.

I stood up with Neville, Luna and Ginny in front of the DA. I was one of the leaders, and if anyone thought it strange they were practically kicked out of the group. I stood up front, next to him, and next to Luna. It took a while for people to get used to this new organization of power, but when they did they treated me more like an equal than they ever had.

"So, we need to do something bigger than graffiti and pranks," Neville paused. Turns out, they had been painting more and more graffiti during my period in confinement.

"How 'bout we set a niffler loose in the Carrows' office?" Lavender asked.

"Nah," Neville shook his head.

"There isn't anything shiny for them to go for," I laughed.

"How… how about… how about we make their food explode in their faces?" Seamus suggested.

"Guys, these are all still _pranks_," Ginny shook her head sorrowfully.

"We need something that is… actually _useful_," I nodded.

"Well, what, Maggie?" Terry rolled his eyes, "You've got to admit that we're, you know, just kids."

I frowned and began pacing back and forth. Neville watched me in amusement… well, everyone watched me in amusement.

"There's this thing… in Snape's office…" I paused thoughtfully, "A giant, sword-type thing, that he always hides when he sees me coming in. Does anyone…?"

"That's Gryffindor's sword!" Ginny gasped, "Dumbledore left it for Harry in his will!"

"You're kidding me," Neville grumbled.

"So… basically… there's this sword in an unobtainable office… that Harry needs… to probably defeat You-Know-Who?" Seamus asked, piecing it together in his head.

"Why don't we try to get it back?" Michael offered.

"Who should go?" Hannah asked feebly. A long period of silence followed as no one wanted, really, to offer their thievery services.

"Fine," Neville muttered irritably after a while, "I'll go. Who else?"

"I'd better," I sighed, "I know how to get into his office."

"We'll come," Ginny and Luna offered.

"Why not," Seamus laughed.

"Okay, I think that's it, 'cause any more would be rather… noticeable," Neville swallowed nervously, "We'll meet tonight, after dinner, okay guys?"

Everyone nodded. I felt my heart hammer in my chest… _please, dear God… don't let Snape get pissed at me… _

We snuck out of the Gryffindor Common room two weeks later, each of us sweating profusely and swallowing heavily. Luna was waiting outside of the door; none of us felt comfortable letting her into the room, it was too suspicious. I led the group, walking alongside Neville; I needed to be able to come up with a quick excuse for everyone if caught.

No Peeves met our assault, nor any other specter or ghost or creepy creature. We walked silently, unmet by any teacher or Filch or prowling feline, to speak of. I felt beads of sweat creep upon my brow and one fall down my face. I bit my lip and looked over at Neville, who had his eyes closed and was mouthing silent words.

"Maybe we should turn back," Seamus hissed hopefully.

"We're this far!" Ginny insisted softly.

"We'll keep going," Luna murmured soothingly to Seamus. We trekked on; our hearts pounding so loud it was a miracle that their mere beating did not wake the castle up. Soon, however, we were at the statue of the gargoyle. I felt my heart pound louder as I murmured to it, "Undesirable Number One."

Nothing happened. I cursed under my breath and everyone watched me anxiously.

"Death Eater?" I asked hopefully. Nothing happened, again.

I murmured even more quietly, so no one could hear, "I did not murder Dumbledore."

The gargoyle leapt aside, and the kids behind me cheered quietly in appreciation. I sighed and looked up to the sky, praying that Snape would not kill me in response.

We entered his office silently, and Neville grinned at me in excitement. How was I to tell them that Snape was probably _asleep_… in the _office_… right above the _sword_…?

_This was a really, really stupid idea,_ I thought anxiously, _really, really, really really stupid_.

We came into his office, and Seamus and Luna stood guard outside the door immediately to it. Ginny and Neville followed me anxiously to the back of his office, where the sword was hanging on the wall. I looked at it anxiously, and then cast silently with my wand, _Accio Sword!_

Nothing happened. I sighed, and turned to Neville and Ginny.

"Give me a boost," I asked softly. Neville and Ginny nodded and hoisted me onto their shoulders. I hobbled for a moment, in my endless uncoordinancy, and supported myself on the wall. I then Reached and grabbed the sword off the wall, nearly cutting my hands in the process.

I nodded to Neville and Ginny, and they let me down with sighs of relief. We were in the process of sneaking out of the room when a cold, familiar voice met my ears.

"And where do you think you're going with that?" Professor Snape asked immediately as we reached Luna and Seamus. All of us jumped in terror and turned, realizing we had nowhere to go.

"Give me that," Snape demanded coolly as we all turned to look at him. I handed him the sword, not meeting his eyes. Neville and Ginny stood up proud and tall, unafraid of whatever punishment they may meet. Seamus and Luna shuffled awkwardly behind me, but they did meet Snape's eyes. Perhaps I was only ashamed because I knew Snape's true colors? Or perhaps I was ashamed because I wasn't as dedicated to the cause as these kids were.

Perhaps it was both.

"You all," Snape paused, "Are in trouble."

"We'll do whatever punishment you have for us," Neville demanded proudly, "We are not afraid."

I bit my lip and looked up at Snape anxiously. He met my eyes for a moment, and then cleared his throat.

"I wish to speak to Ms. Johnson. Then I will meet with you all. Please sit in the stairwell. Do not talk," Snape ordered coldly. I nodded and pushed the others out of the room. Neville gave me a questioningly look as the door closed behind him.

"Look, Professor Snape…" I said loudly until I could hear that they were out of earshot, and then I continued in more soft terms, "Severus. For the love of God, don't send them to the Carrows. They just… By bringing them up here, where _you_ would find them and punish them, I probably…"

"Saved them from much worse a fate, yes," Snape nodded, "I congratulate you. You're doing exactly as I asked. Though I fear that you won't be able to hold them back from more dangerous antics for long," he paused with a sigh.

"You need to punish them, otherwise they'll suspect something. But it can't… it can't be too horrendous. They just want to feel like they're _doing_ something, you know? It's hard to fight You-Know-Who up in a locked and bound castle," I sighed.

"I understand this," Snape nodded, "And I have a perfect punishment in mind. Should I assign you the punishment, also?"

"I'm doing the job you've given me," I laughed, "But I suppose, they don't know that."

"True," Snape smiled, "Okay. Next time, though, you know one of these hare-brained schemes is going on… let me know what it is. Coordination is key. You guys might have actually managed to steal the sword, I was only getting up to go to the bathroom," Snape sighed, "Shall we have a loud argument in which you are fighting for their right?"

"I would love to," I laughed, then cleared my throat, "THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING!" I shouted loudly.

"Breaking into a Headmaster's office," Snape stood up and shouted coolly, "To steal the property of the Headmaster…"

"Do NOT send them to the Carrows!" I yelled angrily, "They knew that the sword was property of Harry Potter and…"

"And they do not merit punishment for such a high crime? This deserves worse than detention!" Snape growled.

"Just… just send them into the Forbidden Forest, or something," I pleaded desperately.

"Hey," Neville had clambered back into the room, "We'll take worse than detention! Maggie, you don't have to…"

"Yes, I _do_," I insisted angrily, turning back to him and glaring at him. He stepped back in shock, and the others following behind him stopped short.

I turned back to Snape and reared my glare at him, but immediately grinned. The others couldn't see that, though. Snape gave a small nod of appreciation.

"Fine. I will talk to Hagrid about the proper time and place for the punishment," Snape paused, "You will be doing hard work in the forest. Miss Johnson, for the love of God if I see you participating in these antics again, I will punish you as well. Now get out of my sight," and he turned on his heels and glided back into his room.

Neville, Seamus, Luna and Ginny all stared at me in awe. I shrugged, averted my gaze and ran out of the room. They couldn't know that Snape was on the side of good... that was imperative for Snape's success... and as such, they couldn't know that we were on good terms (more or less,) for they would think I was on the side of, well, evil.

I went back into my room, and slammed the door. I crashed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. My vision slowly swam until I fell asleep.

I reemerged from the room the next morning, back in my "goth" outfit again. I flashed my eyes around the room, and upon seeing that no one was there, I slunk off down back to Snape's office. I entered silently and went up to his desk.

"Ah, Maggie. I'm not surprised," Snape made a face that might have been a smile; it looked more like a sneer.

"Listen, dude, we've got a problem here," I paused, "They're suspecting shit."

"I'm glad you're so formal with me," Snape rolled his eyes, "And I've recognized this. I'll call them down today, to order them around a bit more, saying something along the lines of that American has no control over me, or I over her. How about that?"

"Nothing but the truth," I laughed. Snape sighed in amusement.

"Thank you, Miss Johnson," Snape paused.

"For what?" I asked, raising my eyes.

"Being my, literally, only friendly companion at the moment," Snape sighed, "Believe it or not... cruel Potion Masters need friends too."

"Aww shucks," I laughed, "Glad to help. Death Eaters can't be great company, eh?"

"You'd be surprised how bad they are, in fact," Snape grimaced, "At any rate, go. Quickly. Someone could come up here."

I nodded and ran down out of his office. No one was in the corridor, and I went down and out to the grounds. I was dying for a breath of fresh air, by myself.

The air was crisp, and cool, like it should be in mid-October. So many weeks had passed since my mother had died, since I had first come here. Had none of that happened, Thailus would be back at home and we would be flying together once more...

I looked up at the grey sky. He would have loved these stormy conditions! If only he could come here... He would have flown throughout them happily, not worrying or having a care in the world. Oh if only! What a wonderful prospect…

I needed to talk to him! Gah! Thailus…

I sat down at the foot of a giant tree on the grounds. Inside of the tree could be clearly heard the call of the birds and the whistling of the wind. I looked up into the woody branches for a moment, watching the calm pine branches gently sway in the breeze. I then gripped one of the branches tightly with my hands, leapt up, and swung myself onto it. I got a firm footing on the branch, and swung onto the next one. I continued up and up until I had reached the topmost branch, sitting on the branch and watching around the grounds.

The bell had rung, and students were quietly walking out onto the grounds to relax or go to their outside classes. I watched them all with extreme amusement, gripping the branch beneath me and humming to myself. I watched as a small group of students, about three or four, came outside and clustered together on the other side of the grounds. I frowned, recognizing the four students as Neville, Ginny, Luna and Seamus from their hair color. I tapped the branch and considered joining them, but decided to not. I concealed myself in the branches of the tree instead, watching curiously as they walked over to my tree.

"So what do we do?" Seamus' distinct Irish accent asked.

"What do you mean?" Neville's Welsh accent demanded angrily.

"I mean… she's hiding something. How can we trust her?" Seamus muttered softly.

"Because we can. She's done nothing but help us," Neville snapped, "And I trust her."

"I trust her too," Ginny's English accent murmured softly, "She obviously trusts us, and likes us, and wants us to be happy."

"Really, Seamus, she knows Snape because she's a guest here," Luna's airy Scottish accent agreed.

"These are dangerous times," Seamus muttered defensively.

"And she's an American tourist. How much harm can she cause?" Neville hissed.

"Well she's very evasive. What are these DR and HM classes she keeps laughing about? I'd like to know," Seamus grumbled.

I took that as my cue and I jumped down from the top of the tree, lightly landing on my feet.

"Certain things are forbidden knowledge," I joked. They all jumped back and stared at me in shock.

"M-Maggie!" Neville gasped, "I… I erm… did you hear…"

"Everything since you people decided to come underneath my tree," I snorted, "Really, way to observe that the person you were talking about was sitting on top of the tree.

Neville and Ginny colored in embarrassment, Seamus's face went completely white, and Luna just smiled at me like nothing had happened.

"Listen, guys, I know it's so hard for you all to trust me," I paused, "But you really have to try. Yes, I talk to Snape. It's because I am a guest here, and he has to make sure I don't die," I joked, "But for serious. There are worse things in the world to do than trust me. Plus, I give you guys good ideas, I help you carry them out… seriously. You need me."

"I know we do," Neville agreed.

"It's only Seamus who is being a pill," Ginny agreed.

Seamus muttered darkly and looked down at the ground.

"What's really going on here, Seamus?" I asked softly, "I think I've proved myself countless times."

Seamus looked up at me and sighed in defeat, "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I guess I… I don't… I don't want us to be handed over to the Death Eaters. Me mum… me mum was taken a month ago," Seamus stared silently at the ground.

"What?" I gasped.

"Seamus, you never told any of us," Neville murmured kindly.

"I know, I… it was around when Maggie's mum was killed," Seamus paused, "And… I know me mum is alive, so I mean… not as big of a deal."

"Everything is a big deal," I insisted, "C'mon, now."

Seamus shrugged again, and I walked over and gave him a hug. When I pulled away, he was staring at me in shock.

"Stop using me as a scapegoat for your pain," I smiled sorrowfully, "And instead, direct it towards fighting Voldy."

"Voldy?" Seamus laughed quietly.

"Well, the real name is tabooed, right? And it's lame to say You-Know-Who," I snorted, "Hence, Voldy."

"Don't make it popular," Ginny giggled, "Or else it'll get tabooed too."

"Psh, Voldy should never get tabooed," I rolled my eyes, "It's too ridiculous."

Neville laughed in appreciation and I grinned at him.

"Well, guys, I'm sorry for interrupting your little covert meeting here," I paused, "So if there's anything else you want to talk about, go right ahead. I have a tree to climb," I chuckled and leapt back up into the branches before they could say another word.

I watched curiously as they all nodded to each other and slowly slunk out from under the tree. However, Neville stayed behind and stared up into the tree for a long moment. I stared back at him, though he couldn't see me.

"Erm… Maggie?" he called hopefully.

I gracefully fell to my feet on the ground and brushed myself off, "Yeah?"

"Oh!" he jumped back in surprise, "Ah… yeah. Hi," he smiled in embarrassment.

"What's up?" I chuckled softly.

"Nothing," Neville smiled, "I guess I didn't expect you to come down."

"Well, I'm here. Is there anything important that I should know about?" I put my hands on my hips and laughed.

"Not really," Neville shrugged, "I guess… I guess I just wanted to talk to you."

I smiled, feeling a blush creep up to my cheeks, "Ah, okay… so how are you, Neville?"

"Fine, I suppose," Neville acknowledged, "I'm just… I'm very stressed. I wish that I could unwind like you can."

"Oh, it's easy," I giggled, "C'mon," and I lightly grabbed his wrist as I jumped up into the tree. He watched me with wild eyes and refused to follow me to the first branch.

"Oh Neville," I laughed, "It really is easy. Just grab hold of the branch, and swing."

Neville swallowed, looked determined and held onto the branch tightly. I watched in amusement as he swung, and managed to reach the first branch and sit down next to me.

"Erm… I don't see how that was relaxing," Neville whispered.

"Ha!" I snorted, "You need to get to the top, silly."

"The _what_?" Neville gasped. I smirked and leapt up onto the next branch.

"Just like last time, it's easy," I smiled.

He looked at me like I was insane, took hold of the branch, and clumsily swung next to me.

"And again," I was giggling uncontrollably now, swinging to the next high branch. Neville groaned and followed me. He was very persistent as we slowly ascended to the top. I admit I was clumsier than normal; I was usually used to going up in a successive swoop that didn't end until I reached the top. Pausing allowed me to sway a bit.

But we reached the top, and Neville sat next to me on the narrow branch and looked around in terror.

"Ah Nev," I laughed, "You need to relax. That's the whole point."

Neville nodded and sighed, breathing out slowly and looking around in wonderment.

"You're a wizard, Nev," I chuckled, "You haven't been up this high before?"

"I've never cared too much for brooms," he mumbled softly.

"Such a shame. Heights are fun, when you get used to them," I giggled, "See, look over there!"

I pointed across the grounds, where Hagrid and Sprout were having a heated argument. Neville grinned and watched with me eagerly as Sprout finally threw a plant to the ground, raised her hands up above her head, and stomped off to the greenhouses.

"You would never have seen that, otherwise," I smiled.

"Or that," Neville pointed over to two Slytherins bullying a smaller Gryffindor.

"Oh snap," I gasped, and we both slowly descended and ran across the grounds.

Neville pushed one of the Slytherins to the ground, and I wrenched the other one off of the boy. The boy quickly scrambled away, and I threw the Slytherin in my possession to the ground. He hissed at me angrily.

"Who do you think you are?" the older, thuggish and large boy asked angrily.

"Your worst nightmare," I laughed, smirking at him and walking away. Neville hastily followed me, looking almost terrified to do so.

"Come back here!" the thug's equally thuggish companion called. They both began to ramble after us, not quite running but clearly trying to.

"C'mon, Nev! Run!" I laughed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him along with me. We sprinted across the grounds, down to the sanctuary of Hagrid's Hut.

We both fell down in the pumpkin patch, laughing hysterically and grinning at each other.

"That was awesome, Mags," Neville chortled.

A/N: Sorry for the insanely long chapter… and how long it took to get here! Please review


	7. Ch 6: A Spell without a Wand

Ch. 6 A Spell without A Wand

_There ain't a whole lot left to say now_

_You knocked all your wind out_

_You just tried too hard and you froze_

_I know, I know_

_What do ya say? What do ya say?_

_Just take the fall_

_You're one of us_

_The spotlight is on_

_Oh the spotlight is on, oh_

_~ Spotlight by MuteMath_

My secrets were revealed to the Brits in a twofold process. I had, long ago, never imagined that they would be revealed at all, but now it was clear that they would be and that they had to be. Otherwise, they would never fully trust me.

In early December, just as the first snowfall hit the grounds of Hogwarts, I received a letter from Thailus. Now, Thailus could not have written this letter himself, due to his lack of opposable thumbs. But the handwriting was my dad's, so I assumed that Thailus had dictated it to him.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, reading the letter in astonishment.

_Dear Maggie, _

_Since you insist upon this nonsense of staying in a foreign country during the midst of war to help them in their war, I have no choice but to respect your newfound insanity. I must insist, however, that we talk face-to-face so I can assess whether it is actual insanity or you have a legit reason to stay in Britain. _

_Please make the necessary arrangements for my giant head to pop through a fireplace. _

_Your Giant Scaly Partner,  
Thailus_

I laughed a little, knowing that my dad probably edited out a lot of Thailus' swears and sarcastic comments. I folded up the letter and left my room, humming to myself. Perhaps a meeting with Thailus via Floo Powder would do me some good.

I went up to Snape's office and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. He looked up from what he was reading and smirked at me.

"Yes, Miss Johnson? What can I do for you today?" Snape asked.

"Can I use the Gryffindor tower for a Floo Powder meeting with my friend Thailus at some point?" I asked, handing Snape the letter. He read it, and looked up at me questioningly.

"Miss Johnson… what is Thailus? I've noticed you constantly talk about his lack of opposable thumbs, and here he is calling himself a giant scaly partner…" Snape paused.

"Erm… this is kind of one of the biggest secrets of my country…" I mumbled, "It's not really my place to say it."

"And I am trying to keep my students safe," Snape stood up angrily, "Miss Johnson; I have done much for you, and if you cannot convey this knowledge to me, then I simply cannot allow…"

"Okay, fine!" I snapped in anger, "Thailus is a dragon, okay? A giant, blue-scaled, four legged, thin-veined-winged dragon! And you know what?" I demanded in a hiss, "He is as intelligent as any human or wizard I know. He can read, he can write (sort of,) he can act, he can think, he can reason!"

"How?" Snape demanded just as furiously.

"When wizards and witches escaped to America, fleeing the witch trials and religious obsession in Europe," I paused, "Though they could survive the persecution, they didn't really feel like expending their energy, witches and wizards met and communicated with Native American witches and wizards. Native American magicians were different than European ones. Native American muggles knew the existence of magic well, and wizards and witches were seen as powerful Shamans that could communicate with nature. Shamans were seen as intermediaries with nature, and they taught the new immigrant wizards and witches the importance of being one with nature and seeking to be one with it, rather than destroy it. Instead of staying in immigrant and British communities in America, most wizards and witches assimilated into Native American society, fully embracing this new natural magic," I sighed, annoyed by this superficial summary.

"Continue," Snape snapped.

"One aspect of this magic was equality with all living things, and it was believed that through this equality all living things could work together in better harmony. When witches and wizards migrated to the far west of the Appalachian Mountains, western plains and Rocky Mountains, they found that the Shamans residing there had discovered something amazing about Dragons, who lived in these areas. Though they communicated in a fundamentally different language than humans, they were just as, if not more so, intelligent as us. And in the three hundred years since finding that knowledge, Shamans had been working hard to communicate with and work with Dragons. When wizards and witches arrived, the Shamans had managed to teach Dragons human language and were working out partnerships and communities together, rather than war-societies and fighting. This was only possible," I emphasized, "By believing that Dragons were our equals. Dragons cannot be tamed, or made to do man's bidding. They may be befriended, and brought into a sort of brotherhood with man."

Snape sat in silence for a long time. His brow was furrowed in concentration; his pen was tapping against the desk, and his overall countenance was that of a worried man. He didn't know what he should do, whether or not to trust this new dragon.

Finally, Snape acquiesced, muttering, "How can he come through Floo Powder?"

"His head fits through the portal, believe it or not," I laughed, feeling relief wash over me.

"And you sure he is safe for the students of my school?" Snape muttered irritably.

"Absolutely positive," I paused, "He's safer than the Carrows."

"Okay," Snape paused, "How long do your letters take to deliver?"

"Like a week," I shrugged.

"Then, since this is Monday, tell him next Friday. What time is the Common Room usually completely empty?" Snape asked.

"Every Friday during the second class slot, at like ten-ish," I acknowledged, "So, for him, at five in the morning."

"Will he be able to do that?" Snape asked in annoyance.

"Probably," I nodded.

"Then make sure it happens. I'll try to make it so that no teachers will notice, but know that I am human," Snape rolled his eyes, "And am not able to prevent everything. This is a risk. Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes," I paused, "I feel… well… that I owe him this."

"Then prepare the visit," Snape paused for another long time, "And please, _please_, don't let him into the school."

"Can do," I smiled, and then left his office in high spirits.

Thailus replied right on time, agreeing to the meeting in a relieved tone. This was probably the least difficult that I had been all year. I skipped through the school, happy as a clam, with the entire student body and faculty wondering how in hell I had managed to become a bright beam of sunlight in a giant, tornado-filled world.

Neville, in particular, wondered how I could be so happy when the Carrows were getting so murderous. I found myself spending most of my time with him, always talking to him and with him and sitting with him during meals and classes. He was my closest friend at Hogwarts, and I was starting to feel as if I was his closest friend. I certainly was the person he spent the most time with- not even Luna or Ginny spent as much time with him.

And when I didn't tell him why I was so happy, he was hurt.

"Maggie, please, I would like to know! It's not like I'm going to be telling anyone else," Neville groaned as we walked together to Herbology through the crowded, dingy halls.

"I know you aren't," I laughed, "But its top-secret material."

"The problem with you," Neville sighed, "Is that when you say things like that I never know if you're kidding or not."

"I'm completely serious," I smiled happily, "But that doesn't mean I can't find it funny."

Neville rolled his eyes as we went into Herbology and I scurried to my place behind him. He grinned over at me for a while before talking to his lab partner, Seamus, who looked annoyed with being ignored. Seamus winked at me, though, before turning to pay attention to Professor Sprout.

_What IS it with these British boys_? I thought in annoyance, _it's like they've all got confounded syndrome or something._

I paused and watched the Herbology lesson in a stupor, not really paying attention or absorbing any of it. What was the point? Tomorrow I was going to be reminded that there was a world outside of all this chaos, a world filled with promise and excitement that I could run to if I needed to. It was completely unfair of me to think that way, since I had entrenched myself in this war, but I couldn't help it. They might be my people now, but I still had my other people. I still had my home. I still had my Thailus.

I could barely sleep that night, I was so antsy. Prior to my retreating to my room, Neville had watched me in pure amusement. I was pacing through the Common Room, and he was laughing hysterically. Seamus was rolling his eyes and playing exploding snap with Ginny.

"C'mon, Maggie, why so anxious?" Neville chortled.

"I can't wait for tomorrow! Why can't it come sooner?" I whined anxiously.

"Can you possibly tell me _why_ you're excited for tomorrow?" Neville added casually. Seamus coughed and he and Ginny went up to their dorm rooms. Was this a conversation that Neville wanted to have alone? Did he think that would wear down my resolve? Fat chance...

"Nope," I smiled, but I sat down next to him and smiled at him. He rolled his eyes.

"I bet I could force it out of you," he smirked evilly. I growled under my breath and shook my head madly. He raised his eyebrows and continued to smirk. Finally, he dove and began to tickle me. I wasn't used to being tickled by anyone except my dad, and this was brutal; I was shrieking and laughing and begging him to stop and kicking and crying, but I was still amused.

"Tell me," he demanded amid my cries for mercy.

"Never!" I shrieked, but I was doubling over in practical pain now. Neville didn't have the stamina to continue, though, and he sat back laughing.

"Fine. But it hurts my feelings that you won't tell me," Neville looked over at me with big puppy dog eyes. I sighed in exasperation.

"I really can't tell you, Nev," I pleaded, "Why can't you understand that?"

Neville shrugged, averting his eyes now. I crawled over to him on the couch and put my chin on his shoulder, nervously. He jumped a little in his chair and looked over at me in shock.

"Please," I mumbled, "Understand that it's not... it's not my secret to tell."

"Whose is it, then?" Neville muttered, looking away again, "Snape's?"

I laughed loudly in his ear and he winced. I shifted so I was leaning against him, my head on his chest, "Heck no. This is more of... my country's secret. America's secret. It's shitty that I can't tell you, but it's that whole 'we-do-not-know-how-they'd-react' thing. I actually had to sign something that said I wouldn't tell anyone this lightly. I had to tell Snape to get the thing that's happening tomorrow to happen, but I think I'll even get in trouble for that."

Neville remained silent, though he relaxed somewhat.

"You know I would tell you if I could, Nev," I was rambling now, "It's actually really, really cool. I'd love to tell you all about it. But I can't. Can you still... can you still trust me?" I asked softly. Neville laughed this time.

"'Course I can," he chuckled, "I understand country-wide secrets. Britain has a few, too. Besides, you know, I've known you for four months now, and well... you're my best... erm..." Neville paused for a really long time. I waited for him to say whatever he was going to say, but he never did. I sighed and shrugged it off, but after five minutes of silence, I was getting annoyed.

"Best what?" I demanded, smirking slightly.

Neville cleared his throat and smiled at me, "You know, maybe you should sleep. It's getting late."

"Now you have to tell me," I giggled, "Come on."

"It's stupid," Neville shrugged and, once again, averted his eyes.

"Oh? I like stupid stuff," I smiled.

He laughed too, and sighed. I watched him curiously until, finally, he mumbled, "Okay, okay. I guess... I guess I think of you as my best... as my best friend, now. Better than Luna or Ginny or even Seamus," he cleared his throat, "That's all."

I smiled at him, my heart suddenly beating at breakneck speeds for reasons I couldn't fathom, "You're my best friend too, you know. Here, especially, but I think overall as well." He smiled back, his grin wide and sincere.

"Well then," he was suddenly at a loss for words, "Then I guess I trust that this secret..."

"Isn't a big deal, really," I nodded, closing my eyes and suddenly very aware that I was still, for lack of a better word, snuggled up next to him... but I was warm and comfortable, and suddenly didn't really care that tomorrow I would see Thailus again... really, who wanted time to pass anyway... we're always so comfortable in the moment...

I don't really know how long I rested there, not saying a word; he didn't really say anything either. But soon enough he yawned and stretched and I knew that was my cue to get up.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow," I murmured, sitting up and smiling at him.

"Yeah," his eyes were lit up with something I didn't recognize, but his smile was awkwardly friendly. I hugged him and he went upstairs to his dorm, smiling at me and not looking away the whole time.

I blushed and quickly went to sleep. I didn't fall asleep easy, because I was both excited for Thailus and suddenly excited for other, less certain things.

The Gryffindors all walked out for "Defense Against the" Dark Arts, in the case of the sixth years; Muggle "studies," in the case of the seventh years; or the respective underclassmen classes. No one was left in the Common Room. I usually used this time for a little me-time, but now I sat eagerly in front of the fire as soon as Neville slowly walked out. Seamus continued to question me, but Neville just quietly chuckled.

I watched as the fire turned a bright, exciting green and suddenly a head the size of a first year popped through the fireplace. The head was a deep, almost navy blue, but the scales were many different shades: cerulean and aqua and navy and royal and mint and sky and all kinds of blue you could imagine. The head had deep teal eyes, and dark midnight blue horns and teeth as white as snow. His long muzzle bore into a grin, and I laughed and wrapped my arms around his snout, though the scales were rather prickly.

"Thailus!" I laughed happily.

"Ah, Maggie," he chortled, "So glad to see you alive."

"Right back at 'cha," I giggled, "You whitened your teeth."

"Eh," he shrugged, "Without you around to protect my honor, your father has been trying to smarten up my appearance. Sigh."

I continued to laugh as the blue dragon rolled his eyes.

"So how're the Anglos? Not pissing you off too much, I hope," Thailus inquired.

"No, not at all. Well, the good ones aren't. The evil Death Eaters are still pains in the ass," I shrugged, "But I have been hanging a lot with the resistance movement."

"Yeah, I know," Thailus sighed, "Not too happy with that one."

"And why?" I demanded.

"Well, if they were to be punished..." Thailus paused.

"I've got this," I shrugged.

"I know you think you do," Thailus muttered, then abruptly changed the subject, "So tell me about this Neville person."

"He's great," I grinned, but my grin must have been rather strange, because he chuckled somewhat.

"What sort of great?" Thailus was chuckling in a rather arrogant and omniscient manner.

"He's a good friend..." I paused, watching him in annoyance. I hated when Thailus was cryptic and then didn't bother explaining why.

"Clarify for me in a few months," he continued to laugh. I used the link between our minds to try to find his meaning, but he quickly shut me out.

"Uh uh aaah," Thailus warned, "If I wanted you to know I would have told you."

"Yeah yeah," I muttered in annoyance. Thailus continued to chuckle.

"Don't worry; you'll get what I mean soon enough. So tell me, how is it not being able to use..." but Thailus was cut off suddenly when the door to the common room opened and someone stomped in.

"Gah! The Carrows are so_ stupid_! I cannot believe- ARGH!" Neville walked in and stopped in his tracks when he came up to the fireplace. I hadn't exactly told him that, while the common room was empty, my "thing" was going on. I guess I should have mentioned it.

Thailus' eyes widened and I could feel through our mind link that he was thinking just as fast as I was. I cringed and stayed put, not turning around to look at Neville's face.

"What... is... that?" Neville gasped.

"I'm a dragon, silly," Thailus finally settled on the path of humor. I cringed more.

"Bloody hell, I figured that out!" Neville cried. I finally turned around, my eyes squinted shut and my face contorted into a grimace.

"Hey Nev," I mumbled through my teeth.

"What... How... Who... Bloody..." Neville stuttered.

"Thailus, Neville. Neville, Thailus," I introduced, still squinting and grimacing.

"How do you do," Thailus nodded, "Maggie has told me a lot about you."

"When you said 'my Thailus' that one time I thought you were talking about a boyfriend or something, not a... not a pet... not a pet _dragon_!" Neville cried.

"Psh, I don't have a boyfriend," I opened my eyes and laughed hysterically, both out of pure amusement and out of stress, "Went to an all girls school, remember? Anyways-" but Thailus cut me off.

"I... am... not... a... PET!" Thailus roared, literally roared, his teeth glinting and looking particularly sharp.

"Okay, okay!" Neville squeaked, before diving behind the couch. Thailus burst into tears of laughter.

"He's my Dragon Partner," I began, swallowing nervously, "He won't hurt you, I swear."

Neville got up from behind the couch cautiously and looked at me incredulously.

"So this is your big secret?" Neville asked, still keeping his distance from us. I nodded.

"Why... how..." Neville's voice was breathless, "Aren't dragons..."

"Everything you know about us is false," Thailus said in a falsely foreboding voice. I rolled my eyes at him, giving him a look.

"This isn't a horror or fantasy movie," I warned him, before turning back to Neville.

"But people have been trying to tame... trying to tame you guys for..." but Thailus cut off Neville's gasping.

"Tame, being the key word my young grasshopper," Thailus grinned at me.

"Oh my God," I groaned, hiding my face in my hands briefly before looking up at him, "Really? Really!"

"Yes, really," Thailus stuck his long tongue out at me, "You know me better than anyone else and you're surprised?"

"Not surprised," I shook my head, "Just disappointed."

"So, you're not a pet, and you're not tamed, but you can talk and you're 'partners' with Maggie? Please, please, _please_ explain," he begged.

"This is DR," I paused, standing up and sighing, "Dragon Riding. It is an ancient, purely American custom. No other country has this. It is the descendant of Native American tradition," I paused, taking hold of his wrist and bringing him closer, "Don't be scared."

"Sorry if I grew up thinking dragons were dangerous," Neville muttered, not looking at me.

"What, you're not going to trust me now?" I sighed, dropping his wrist, "Just cause one of my closest companions isn't human? Just cause this is the closely guarded American secret? I thought we came to an understanding last night."

"We did," Neville muttered begrudgingly, "Sorry," and he looked up at me hesitantly.

"Just listen, okay?" I begged, "I promise it'll all make sense when I'm finished."

"Kay," he mumbled, sitting next to me on the couch.

"It is called _Pachua_, a Native American term," I paused, "It can also be known as _Chepi_. _Pachua_ means feathered water snake, aka dragon; whereas _Chepi_ means faerie. Both imply the same thing in America," I sighed, wishing I didn't have to explain this again.

"Okay," Neville nodded.

"Basically, since well forever, the Native American tribes of North America have been in a symbiotic relationship, that means mutually helpful, relationship with dragons. Southern American tribes not so much, but up north the tribe wizards, who were known as shamans, partnered with dragons and had one dragon partner for their whole life. They partnered just before they came of age," I paused again, frowning, "And protected nature and the tribe together. The dragons taught the Native Americans many things about nature and magic, and the tribes taught them their languages," I stopped, smiling over at Thailus who grinned back.

"I'll continue, shall I?" Thailus offered, "When the English colonists, as well as the French, came to the Americas, they pushed out the tribes and killed the dragons. But the wizards and witches assimilated into the tribes, finding their version of magic- as an honored, respected custom- much more appealing than the oppression of the time. They also began to take dragon partners, learning that treating us as equals was much better than trying to tame us."

Neville nodded in understanding as I continued, "But, none of them wished to return to Europe, and by the time we realized that we had this major secret, we decided that it would be safer for dragons everywhere if it remained on the continent. So you really, really, _really_ can't tell anyone," I begged, turning to him and folding my hands in a pleading gesture.

"I promise," Neville nodded, "That's actually kind of cool."

Thailus smiled, "Well, glad that's all straightened out. Maggie and I are Dragon Partners, and when she returns to America, we will go to the UDRA."

"UDRA?" Neville asked.

"United Dragon Rider's Association," I explained, "Not every witch and wizard in America is a Dragon Rider, and only the best of those are picked for the UDRA. It's like a police service, except so much cooler. We'll go through training for a year, and then after we'll be paired up with another partnership and work together to stop magical crime. I'm excited."

"It sounds like your sort of thing," Neville chuckled, "Are there any more American magical secrets I should know about?"

Thailus burst into tears of laughter and I glared at him. Neville watched me curiously. I sighed and turned back to him.

"Just one," I muttered, "That I'm also not allowed to tell you unnecessarily. It also stems from Native American traditions," I paused, "I'll tell you if I have to, Ok?"

"Sure," Neville nodded, "I understand."

"So, ah, how much longer do I have to remain undiscovered?" Thailus asked.

"About an hour," Neville shrugged.

"Sweet," Thailus paused, "Maggie, I have a message from your father, which I figure I should tell you know just in case I forget."

"Shoot," I nodded, sliding off the couch to kneel in front of him again.

"He begs you to come home, but knows that you won't, so he asks... well, he asks that you don't do anything stupid," Thailus gave me a pointed look. I nodded and sighed.

"I won't. Tell him I won't. But... also tell him that I love him. Just in case," I wrapped my arm around his muzzle.

"Just remember that you can come home at any time, we won't judge you," Thailus paused, "And he begs you not to call me. You know what he means."

"Another secret?" Neville sighed from behind us.

"Same one I haven't told you," I explained, "Well, it ties in with the one I _have_ told you, but basically the same thing."

"Kay," Neville nodded.

"I won't unless I need to," I agreed, "But you know it might get... there might be a battle."

"I pray to God there won't be," Thailus sighed, "You could die. Anyway, that's all. Other than that, everything's as fine as it can be back home. We all miss..." Thailus stopped talking then, sighing exasperatedly.

"Yeah," I mumbled, tears forming at the bases of my eyes.

"Now, sweetie, don't cry," Thailus soothed, nuzzling me comfortingly, "It'll be okay."

Neville got off the couch and hugged me, "Yeah, your mum is in a better place now."

"He's fast, this one," Thailus laughed. I rolled my eyes and hiccupped.

"Well, he was here when I found out," I shrugged, and then wrapped my arms around both of them, "Thanks for being here for me, guys."

"No problem at all," Neville murmured.

"Floo me whenever you can, yeah?" Thailus laughed, "How bout I check up on you in two weeks?"

"That could be good," I smiled, patting his nose fondly, "I miss flying, Thai."

"I know," Thailus sighed, "This is cruelty. But we'll fly again," he declared proudly, "I know we will. And when we do, well, we'll both be swooping and laughing and enjoying life once again. Dark times don't last forever."

"Amen, amen," I laughed.

"Couldn't you come through here and go flying at night or something?" Neville suggested. Thailus and I looked at each other and burst into tears of laughter.

"Clearly," Thailus chortled, "You haven't figured out how big I am. No fireplace can stretch wide enough."

"Oh?" Neville asked.

"He's the size of Grawp, Nev," I giggled.

"_Oh_," Neville nodded, blushing from embarrassment at his stupid mistake.

"It's okay, British boy," Thailus smiled, "You've never seen my kind before, I assume. Well, Maggie," Thailus paused, "He seems like a good dude."

Neville raised his eyebrows at me. I smiled.

"I've talked about you in my letters," I paused, "and he questions the character of everyone I meet."

"But I can see now that I leave you, my little chuck, in capable hands," Thailus looked up and glared at Neville, "If you let anything happen to her, you'll have to answer to me. I might be friendly, but I'm still wild," he bore his teeth again to drive the point home.

"Understood," Neville nodded, "I'll make sure she isn't another casualty."

"That's all I ask. I know she can't help but get herself into trouble- picking a fight with a death eater teacher, really- but please make sure she doesn't die. I don't think I, or her dad, could handle it. And on that note, I should leave soon. Your father's awake and I have to report back to him, and besides that, I'm exhausted," Thailus yawned, his tongue curling in his jaw.

"Aww, okay," I mumbled, "Two weeks?"

"Two weeks," he nodded, "This same time. I promise."

"Kay," I smiled, and hugged his snout tightly. Neville sat back respectfully as we shared affection.

"See ya, kid. Love you to pieces," Thailus smiled.

"I love you too, Thailus," I grinned, "Go catch a big deer for me."

"Two," Thailus nodded, "Adios!"

"Adios," I nodded as he retracted back into the fireplace, the flames went red, and all was silent. Neville scooted back over to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you, Mags," he mumbled.

"It's okay. Maybe you'll get to know the other secret, too," I smiled, "And if not, well, it's not a big deal."

"I bet it is," Neville snorted, "But that's okay. Want to eat something?"

"Sure," I nodded, standing up and linking arms with him, "Emotional trauma always makes me hungry."

Neville didn't stop laughing all the way back to the Great Hall.

The second revelation was entirely, completely, purely my fault. I was simply an idiot. It was a few weeks after that incident, and I was lying about in the Common Room by myself during a period when, miraculously, no one else was around.

_Maybe I could just_... I thought to myself. I sighed. I hadn't done Hand Magic in over four months, and with Hand Magic, you couldn't just _stop_. The power builds and builds and builds inside of you until it just comes out, and I knew I didn't want that to happen in front of anyone. It just wasn't good PR to burst into light in front of a billion people.

So I decided to let out some of that power when no one was around. Grinning, I stood up and swerved my magic hand- the hand I didn't use to wave my wand, my non-writing hand- around and a beam of light trailed through the common room. I giggled and began to write things in the air, such as _Death Eaters are Losers_ and _Go Phoenix!_ I continued to release energy by moving around a bunch of paintings, who protested in annoyance from being woken up from their naps. I then moved around the furniture and the fireplace, laughing hysterically as I moved around the entire room. Wouldn't it just be funny to see the looks on everyone's faces when they saw this? I couldn't wait! I began to juggle some flowers and a portrait of a bearded lady in midair, giggling and laughing as they flipped around and around in a circle without ever touching my hands, beams of pure energy guiding them along as the bearded lady screamed hysterically.

I danced around, spinning the objects above me in midair with my finger, watching as a stream of energy caused a trail of objects to follow me. I wasn't even paying attention to the amount of magic I was using or the amount of noise I was making. I was just glad to be releasing all that pent up energy.

I didn't even notice when the door opened, and when I heard voices. I was just having the time of my life; sending streamers of blue energy into the air and making the chair do back flips.

"Now, Mr. Longbottom, I know how the Carrows can be but you simply cannot... holy Hobgoblins!" Professor McGonagall stopped in her tracks in the middle of the Common Room. She and Neville were watching and surveying the damage with wide eyes, looking at me in shock.

"Maggie, why are you... where's your wand?" Neville gasped. Professor McGonagall gasped as she, too, noticed that I didn't carry a wand.

"Erm... ah... it's in my... sleeve?" I stopped my nonsense and grimaced. _Shitbags_.

"Ms. Johnson! What is the meaning of this mess? And how have you performed magic without a wand?" Professor McGonagall looked completely affronted and terrified as I stood there, wand-less, with no explanation as to how I could be performing magic without my wand.

"Erm… uh… ah… well… it's a… ah… it's a funny story… you know…" I stammered and sweated and stood my ground feeling foolish.

"Maggie…" Neville warned, giving me a look.

"Fine, fine! In the United States we can… we can ah… we can perform magic without a wand, if we wish. It's the other Native American custom I told you about," I explained to Neville, "It has many names that I would rather not go into, but basically, when a witch or wizard is born in the States, they are given a tattoo of two hands with a circle between them," I showed them the tattoo on my left hand, "Which is put on their non-main hand. This tattoo allows them to use magic via that hand without wand or other magical instrument. It is a dangerous art, though, because it uses your own energy rather than the energy stored up in a wand, to use magic. But if you don't use it frequently it builds up and then explodes," I shrugged, "So I was goofing around."

"Ah." Professor McGonagall looked stunned.

"Maggie… you really can't… you really can't tell _anyone_ about this," Neville murmured anxiously.

"I know, but why do you say so?" I shrugged, simply agreeing with something I had resolved way before this.

"Because if the Carrows find out, they'll torture you to get the information from you!" Professor McGonagall realized, "You must be more careful!"

I nodded, my face as white as snow. I began to shake a little, wondering what that sort of torture would entail.

"Don't worry, Mags, don't worry," Neville murmured softly, seeing my distress and walking over to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, "We'll keep the secret, and if you ever need to do hand magic, just, only do it in front of me and Professor McGonagall. Don't do it in the hall, in front of Snape, in the crowded Common Room, _nowhere_."

I nodded and shuddered a little. I imagined the torture a little too graphically.

"Well, I'd best be going. I have to explain to the Carrows why I've saved you from punishment, Mr. Longbottom. Stay here with Ms. Johnson until I come back," Professor McGonagall ordered before leaving swiftly out the portrait hole.

I looked over at Neville with wide, terrified eyes. His expression mirrored my own. _What was next?_ I thought anxiously. It couldn't be good.

Because, when two people know a secret, it's twice as hard to keep it quiet. When its three, you can kiss its secrecy goodbye.

I knew from experience.

A/N Not as long of a chapter! Yay me! O_o


	8. Ch 7: Resistance Movement

Ch. 7 Resistance Movement

_They will not force us,_

_They will stop degrading us,_

_They will not control us,_

_And we will be victorious!_

_~ Uprising by Muse_

And so, Christmas came around just like that, swiftly and without warning. It would be my first holiday away from home. I was a little saddened by the reality, but also excited. I couldn't wait to have a very British Christmas. I didn't know where I was going to go, however, seeing as staying in Hogwarts alone would not be the safest option.

"You can come with me to my house," Ginny offered casually two days before the vacations started, "See, my mum's kind of lonely, seeing as Harry Ron and Hermione are out on an adventure, and I don't think she'd mind much. Plus, you can come visit Bill and Fleur with me, I'm really curious as to what their house is like."

"Thanks," I immediately accepted, due to mostly my intense nervousness. I knew that if I stayed in Hogwarts I would pretty much be murdered by the Carrows, a prospect I wasn't all that eager for. I liked to live and all that.

Of course, Neville wasn't very happy about this, as he was just about to ask me to come with him the next day. But he decided that this was as good of an excuse as any to visit the Weasleys, a prospect his grandmother had been eager for.

And so, as the famed Hogwarts Express pulled out of its station and on to a prospectively happier place, I sat with Neville, Luna and Ginny; talking eagerly and smiling at the idea of not being under the Carrows' thumbs for about a month.

The dark Scottish sky blurred past the window as I stared out of it, filled with clouds and a skyline of pine trees and firs. Neville was sitting next to me on the train seat, playing exploding snap with Luna and Ginny. I didn't really feel like playing, as I had never seen the landscape on the path to Hogwarts before. I saw rolling, mossy fields; deep, green forests; wide, grey lakes; and all kinds of homey places, much less developed than America... or was that just because this was where the Hogwarts Express train tracks were?

_Probably_, I thought quietly. I looked at the open expanse of sky and wondered how much Thailus would have loved to fly here... probably infinitely so.

"You all right, Maggie?" Ginny asked suddenly, "My parents won't hurt you, I promise."

I looked up and over at her and smiled weakly, "I'm fine. I've just never been really anywhere in Britain before. I'm looking at it all."

"Well, it's not much to look at," Luna sighed, "Now, the wilderness of the continent, that's where _I_ want to go."

I laughed a little and shrugged, "When you're used to American nature and industry, well, everything foreign is interesting. We're apparently not as similar as we seem."

"Who knew?" Neville smiled warmly at me, "I would never have guessed."

"Hardy har," I nudged him playfully, "You've been clever-er," I rolled my eyes.

"Hardly," Neville shook his head. Luna and Ginny shared a small happy glance that I decided was more worth ignoring than acknowledging.

But soon this happy bliss ended dramatically. As the game of exploding snap continued and the world continued to whir by, a heavy knock issued on the door that no one answered before the door to the compartment was wrenched open.

"Luna Lovegood?" a man dressed all in black, with his face concealed from view by a mask, asked in a hoarse voice.

"That's me," Luna provided cheerfully before the rest of us could protest.

"You're coming with me," the man ordered in a dangerously quiet voice.

"No, she's not," I hissed, jumping up and standing in front of Luna. I recognized the man from my first day in Britain, the first Death Eater I ever encountered.

"Ah, and how will you make me, American brat?" the man hissed.

"She's not alone," Ginny whispered, standing up next to me. Neville had already been at my side. We stood, completely filling the width of the compartment, blocking Luna from view.

"I will torture _all_ of you into _insanity_ if you do not **move now**," the Death Eater roared.

Casually, so he wouldn't see, I put my left hand behind my back. Nodding to Neville, who began to bitch at him, I flicked the lights above in the compartment with my index finger. The stream of energy was almost invisible as it knocked over the lights and flung them into the Death Eater's face. A large _clang_ appeared on his face as a giant, black bruise covered his forehead. He quickly fell to the ground, unconscious, practically dead.

"RUN, LUNA!" Ginny screamed, catching on. Luna began to sprint down the train hallway, and Ginny followed her with her wand poised and ready. Neville and I ran in the opposite direction, ready to fend off any attackers as Luna tried to get off the train.

A pack of four Death Eaters approached us, wands out, hissing menacingly. Neville stepped in front of me and greeted them cheerfully, saying, "Hi, boys." I laughed and, behind my back, pushed the door behind them so that it would open, knocking all but one of them unconscious to the floor. The one remaining looked at the open door, turned back to us and hissed.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Neville cried, and the man was wand-less. I quietly flicked the floor tiles so that they would move, and he slipped and fell to the floor on top of another Death Eater.

"STUPEFY!" Neville cried, and we both ran out of the carnage scene as we heard footsteps behind us. Moving the floor tiles had been tiring work, however, and I knew that more hand magic would leave me too weak to continue. I pulled out my wand and ran anxiously with Neville down the compartments.

We reached the back of the train without encountering anyone else, so we silently nodded at each other and turned back to the direction of Luna and Ginny. Farther along the train, Neville looking rather winded, we ran smack into Ginny. She had tears running down her freckly face and she looked up at us sorrowfully.

"I'm so, so sorry g-guys," she cried, "But there were six of them, and there was nothing I could do, they... th-they took Luna!" she sobbed, holding her face in her hands.

Neville's fists clenched in anger and my heart sank. Would we never see Luna again? God _dammit_! I was charged with _protecting_ these kids!

"God damn those bastards," Neville hissed.

"Let's go back to the compartment," I mumbled, "And try to think up some solution."

We came up with diddly squat, though the train ride was long and meandering.

The Burrow was one of the most interesting places I had ever been. After a tearful goodbye with Neville, we went off to two red-headed, middle-aged people waiting there. The woman was rather plump, and the man was rather nervous. Ginny grabbed my wrist and pulled me along towards them.

"Mum! Dad! This is Maggie Johnson, the American girl I've told you about, you know the one who's staying with us?" Ginny eagerly introduced. Mrs. Weasley, the plump woman, immediately smiled and shook my hand. Mr. Weasley did likewise as soon as Mrs. Weasley was done.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Maggie," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "It's not always safe at our house, as you know, but I'm glad that you will be staying with us for the Christmas holidays."

"It's safer than staying at Hogwarts alone," Mr. Weasley nodded, "Come on, then. To the Burrow."

I smiled and nodded, following them out to the Burrow via apparation. But when we got there, there was nothing. Mr. Weasley turned to me and handed me a piece of paper, detailing the Burrow's location. I immediately realized that this was a secret-kept house and I nodded as it magically sprung up from the ground as I read what was on the paper.

"All right then, welcome!" Mrs. Weasley smiled, albeit awkwardly, as we walked into the Burrow. I tried to keep quiet, to keep sane; but at that point I was so paranoid I found it hard to relax anywhere, really.

Ginny seemed to be on a similar comfort level, though this was her own house. She kept her eyes peeled as we went up the steps and into her room. We sat in silence as the clock ticked on, waiting for some semblance of comfortable circumstance to descend upon us again. I stared at my hands and twiddled my thumbs, feeling excessively awkward.

"I'm sorry," Ginny finally sighed, "I'm just in so much shock about Luna that I…"

"I am too," I paused, "don't worry. I hope she'll be ok…"

"She's a fighter, if nothing else. In her own weird way, of course, but she's still a fighter," Ginny grinned weakly, "C'mon. If we freak out in front of my parents they won't be able to handle it. Plus, it's vacation."

For some reason, I found myself missing Neville. I thought that was strange, shrugged it off, and ran downstairs with Ginny, to be with her and her crazy family.

The Christmas Holiday itself was a lot of fun- there were those Christmas crackers my mom had always loved, except when we opened them (Ginny and I shared, Ginny's brothers Fred and George shared, and her mum & dad shared as well,) living animals and other more magical things popped out. Ginny and I burst into hysterics when a huge lizard came crawling out of our cracker and onto my lap.

"I name you Wilhelmina," I declared, "For no good reason at all."

Fred and George thus proceeded to serenade Wilhelmina, singing in their most obnoxious voices. We then played a monstrous game of Gobstones, to which Mr. and Mrs. Weasley acted as referee. I have to admit that for the first time in four months, I felt safe and completely happy for no good reason at all. There was snow, a Christmas tree, and a family atmosphere that I still cherish today. (No wonder Harry considered himself a Weasley from the getgo.)

That night, Ginny and I were sitting up in our room, drinking hot cocoa. She looked unbearably sad despite the festivities.

"What's wrong?" I asked, rather lamely.

She shrugged, her eyes lost and far away.

"You know you can tell me anything," I murmured soothingly. She looked at me for a long time before nodding in agreement.

"I miss Harry… I hope he's OK, wherever he is," she finally supplied. I nodded in consolation.

"You love him, don't you?" I asked.

"Yeah," she sighed, "We dated for a little while, and the only reason we broke up was 'cause he had to go out and stop Voldy and didn't want me to be immediately targeted for being his girlfriend. But I still consider us 'together' in a weird, unofficial way in my head… even though he could be shagging some foreign girl as we speak."

"First off," I laughed, "From what I've heard of Harry Potter, I feel he wouldn't do that. Second off, you're gorgeous, smart, and really brave- what more in hell could he want? Third off, he'll come back and you'll go off happily together into the sunset as soon as this madness is over. I promise. And I will take pictures to blackmail you with later," I giggled.

Ginny rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, "You really think so?"

"Look," I paused, "How many girls do I know at Hogwarts who have known Harry, idolized him etc? A lot. And the only two who seem to know him the best are you, and this mythological Hermione Granger everyone talks about. And, from my conversations with Neville, it seems inevitable that she and Ron Weasley will someday 'get over themselves.' Furthermore, the way you look whenever there's any chance of news about Harry leaves little room to the imagination hun," I smiled at her warmly.

She giggled and took the opportunity to change the subject, though she definitely looked more happy than she had before the conversation began, "Ron and Hermione _better _get together before this is all over, they drove me mental last year with their stupid boy-girl games."

"When something is inevitable, I usually find it'll happen no matter what us meager human beings try to do," I rolled my eyes. Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of inevitable," she paused for a very long time and I watched her curiously, wanting to just shout at her to spit it out already, "What… erm… may I ask you something?"

"Of course!" I affirmed brightly, more frustrated than ever despite my outward appearance. She continued to pause awkwardly before finally opening her mouth.

"What is going on between you and Neville?"

I looked at her like she was crazy, "We're best friends, is all..."

"But you feel something more, right?" she insisted. I shook my head, confused as ever. The thought had never even occurred to me before now. It was still so foreign I couldn't imagine. Neville?

"The thought has honestly never occurred to me," I replied, "I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around it at the moment."

Ginny nodded, looking downtrodden.

"Does _he_...?" I asked, still desperately confused inside my head.

"He hasn't said anything, no... Just Luna and I thought you two would make a good couple is all," Ginny blushed in the way only Weasleys could.

"But I thought Luna liked him?" I asked in confusion. Ginny shook her head furiously, "Oh no no no. She used to like Ron, honestly, before she came to her senses."

I nodded, still sent into silence at the new ideas in my head. I wasn't adverse to them, but they didn't make me excited either.

Ginny took my silence as a cue to stop talking, and bade me goodnight. I didn't fall asleep for a long time. My head was still whirring.

The next day, the boy in question came to visit. His eyes were alight with happiness as he said, "Gran told me, point-blank as you say Mags, to go out and be with people my own age and have fun for the first time this whole year. Ah well, it _is_ Boxing Day!" Ginny and I couldn't help but grin in response, though I knew deep down in my heart I was more confused than ever. His style of greeting and his smile procured a different response than usual… or maybe it was the same response, and only now I was aware of it? My heart sort of pounded weirdly and I wanted to blush. Luckily, I had become quite good and stopping my blush (one of those useful spells they taught at the all-girls academy so that when we went out and received the affections of men we wouldn't be complete newbies) and I hoped that Neville didn't notice.

_Does he? No, he can't… I only thought about it because of Ginny. I'm being stupid,_ I thought anxiously as we all sat in the living room and drank hot cocoa.

"No word about Luna, huh?" Ginny asked him desperately, wishing for her best friend back.

"None," Neville shook his head, "I'm anxious. They couldn't have killed her, she's too valuable to our side. They might use her as blackmail, though, which is what I'm hoping for. Or they're torturing her, which seems more likely but much less wanted," he shivered. Ginny frowned, as did I- yes, torture was horrible, but why did he have such an immediate response to the idea?

"Let's not think about it too much," I responded, "There's nothing we can do as long as we don't know where in hell she is. Let's just… enjoy Boxing Day, eh?" I admit, it was a lame suggestion, but it was the only one I could really think up on a moment's notice in the end.

Ginny ended up having a snowball fight outside with Fred and George, who were still at home; and Neville and I stayed inside to play Wizard's Chess. Well, I exaggerate when I say play- I never had before and he was coaching me through it.

"So why didn't you want to play outside?" Neville asked casually as he instructed his white… rook, yeah?... to move across the board. I frowned at the motion and shrugged.

"I dunno, I mean I like cool weather but snow and ice have never been my thing since I bonded with Thailus," I laughed, "Since he's all about fire."

"Makes sense," Neville laughed. He watched me curiously as I tried to instruct my black knight to move out of the way of Neville's rook, but the knight was glaring at me and shaking his head.

"He knows there's a better move, Mags," Neville chuckled, "Here." And he reached across the table to guide my hand to move my bishop to take his rook. His hand was gently on top of mine, and the action made my entire body shiver delicately without my control.

The worst part of it was, I hadn't actually thought about what Ginny said for most of the day. We played exploding snap, talked, and listened to the wireless, all without me pondering Neville and whether or not I had feelings for him. This sudden reminder of the new status quo made my mind whir needlessly. I stared at our hands together and looked up into his eyes.

I had never noticed before exactly how beautifully brown they were. I must have gotten lost in them, because after a moment Neville slowly removed his hand from on top of mine and went to examine the situation on his side of the board, removing his eyes from mine.

I felt like a huge idiot.

Everything inside of me was acting stupid- my heart was pounding, my legs felt weird, and my mind was whirring with the new ideas in them.

New idea number one: He had really soft looking lips.

New idea number two: What would it be like to kiss them?

New idea number three: I like the idea of kissing him…

New idea number four: The idea that I like the idea of kissing him probably indicates feelings beyond the feelings of best friendship.

New idea number five: Shit.

I tried to regain myself, but the more I thought about it seriously instead of in conjecture the more I realized it was completely, utterly true. Every time he spoke my heart got flutters and everything he said held my entire attention. Hugging him was my favorite pastime and I thought nothing of touching him, though it always made me tingle afterwards (a fact I must have dutifully ignored, in the end.) He made me laugh and feel welcome and, in the end, I couldn't imagine being closer to anyone else as I was to him, sans Thailus. And, well, I wasn't going to date Thailus was I? And our friendship was so strong, so deep, I felt like this was just the natural next step and…

"It's your move, Mags," Neville laughed, snapping me out of my reverie. Mags. A pet name no one had ever called me before. What did _that_ mean?

Oh snap, now I was analyzing every action he made. There goes my peace of mind.

"Right," I laughed nervously before moving my knight to capture one of his pawns. He looked at me in annoyance.

"Did you mean to put me in check?" he grumbled. I stared at the board for a long time before laughing.

"No. I didn't even know I had you in check," I giggled, realizing how stupidly feminine and non-Maggie-like I sounded. He looked at me, puzzled by my new behavior, and I mentally slapped myself.

He looked at the board for a long-ish time, before realizing he really had nowhere to go. He put down his King in annoyance and looked at me in the same manner.

"I won't be so nice next time," he warned, and I laughed a real laugh next time. We sat there awkwardly, staring at each other and not saying anything. I wanted to say _something_, but nothing really came to mind that would be earth-shattering except the whole I-think-I-have-feelings-for-you-thing.

Just as he opened his mouth, with a weird expression on his face, to say something the Weasleys came back in, covered in snow and with rosy cheeks. We both stood up to greet them warmly, and I pushed every aspect of this revelation out of my mind so that I would act normal.

Ginny said not a word as we went to sleep, though this night I was kept away by that idea of kissing him. It was simply too exciting of a prospect to fully ignore.

A few days later, Ginny and I left the Burrow safely to visit her brother and sister-in-law at Shell Cottage. I was excited to meet more of the Weasley clan, and perhaps the sea air would do wonders to clear my head of that same image: kissing Neville, that seemed to replay itself over and over again like a mantra.

When we got there, a late-teenaged boy with bright red hair and freckles opened the door. I smiled warmly at him, but Ginny gasped in astonishment.

"_RON! _Why are you here? _How_ are you here? Is everything OK? Did you find what you were looking for? Are Harry and Hermione here? Or are you stuck or did something go wrong and _is Harry OK_?" Ginny shrieked in astonishment before hugging her brother. This was rather out of character for her, which indicated that she had been under a lot more stress than she had really let on in the end.

"I'm fine," Ron answered cautiously. To this, Ginny left the embrace and glared at him.

"What is it, Ronald?" she snapped. I watched the exchange with mild amusement on my face.

"I might have… walked out on them…" Ron swallowed, "Really angry… and now that I've left I can't find them again because they are that good at hiding themselves."

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Ginny roared before slapping him across the cheek, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO THEM? TO _HERMIONE_? TO HARRY? YOU BASTARD."

"I know, I know!" Ron shouted in response, rubbing his raw cheek delicately, "I wanted to go back the moment I left, I swear, but the snatchers had picked me up and it took all of my efforts to get out of there, and I splinched and everything! I only just managed to make it to Shell Cottage without killing myself!"

Ginny's eyes didn't seem to soften, but I watched him with pity on my face.

"I'm sure you wanted to go back," I agreed, deciding to take the weaker side in the argument. Ginny glared at me from the corner of her eye but Ron looked relieved to have an ally.

"You can't tell anyone I came back, Ginny," Ron begged, "If word got out, mum and dad would surely be taken away and everything would go to shit. Please."

Ginny shrugged and stalked past him in a huff into Shell Cottage.

"That means she won't, but she's not happy about it," I clarified for her. Ron laughed.

"I know my sister, but you're right. Who are you?" he asked curiously.

"Maggie Johnson," I stuck out my hand for him to shake, "I decided to visit the UK at the wrong time and am now stuck here, is the short version."

"You're from the States, I take it?" Ron asked. I nodded.

"Why can't you go back?" he continued.

"My mom was a muggle-born and they executed her, and if I try to go back they'll probably do the same to me, so as long as I'm at Hogwarts under McGonagall's eye I'm safe or as long as I'm with other DA kids," I explained.

"So I take it you've been conscripted for our side?" Ron laughed.

"I like to think I'm a willing volunteer, seeing as I started helping out before I found out my mom had been killed, rather than sent home like the government liked to say," I grinned in response. Ron nodded and we went back inside to try and console Ginny.

It didn't actually take much; I suppose the relief at seeing her brother alive and having reassurances at the living status of her (ex?)boyfriend and one-of-her best friends was enough to dispel whatever fury she felt at Ron's brief betrayal. She spent the day talking eagerly with Fleur and Bill on their plans for renovating the house when all the hell was over, and for Fleur's plans to have a baby as soon as the whole hell was over as well. I decided to get to know Ron, seeing as he was acting all emo-like in the corner.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, you'll find them eventually," I rolled my eyes.

"How do you know? They're putting up every defense and cloaking spell known to wizard kind. The war will be over and they'll be infinitely pissed at me for ditching them. And even if I could get pass the spells, I have no clue where they'd be," Ron sighed.

"I just have this feeling," I paused, "I feel like you'll be able to find your way back to you. It's a magic thing."

"It would take a miracle, Maggie," Ron sighed, "A bleeding miracle."

"You'll find them, and the war will end, and you'll be with Hermione and everything will be awesome, I swear," I grinned. Ron rolled his eyes at me and groaned, putting his face in his hands.

"I keep messing that up, too. Now she'll be shagging with Harry in the woods because I practically pushed the two of them together. Don't tell Ginny, though," Ron suddenly amended, looking terrified. I rolled my eyes.

"No they're not, come on now. From what I've heard, and I've heard a lot, the two of you are meant to be together and you're only too big of idiots that it hasn't happened yet."

Ron watched me for a while, his face contorted in concentration before he nodded, "Fine. I _am_ going to tell her how I feel, God dammit, probably before the war ends just in case… I just… I need to know how to go about it."

"The way I see it with Hermione," I paused, "From what I know about her from Ginny and Neville… you need to show you care about what she cares about. Don't just brush off whatever she says. Be supportive of her ideas and even volunteer ideas of your own that are in the same vein as hers. Be perceptive."

"Give me an example," Ron groaned.

"Well, she's into House-Elf liberation right?" I asked, remembering just one of the tidbits of knowledge Neville had provided for me when I asked about the trio to fulfill my curiosity. They were idealized in the DA, after all.

"Yeah…" Ron paused.

"Then, I don't know, make some sort of gesture about protecting the house-elves or making their lives happier, but without her bringing up the subject first. And it wouldn't hurt if you took the initiative in your little adventure, too, just to show that you are just as brave and important to the mission as she or Harry," I offered. Ron nodded, thinking, and then randomly looked at me.

"Thanks Maggie. You're pretty awesome," he laughed.

"So I've been told," I rolled my eyes. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing Wizard's Chess again, which I was apparently abysmal at- Neville was just more abysmal.

When Ginny and I went back to the Burrow, I was filled to bursting with the new realization in my head, and I couldn't hold it in any longer- I had to tell her. As we sat in her room and she did my hair- something she was surprisingly good at- it came out as if floodgates had opened.

"You're right after all," I declared nervously.

"About?" Ginny asked absent-mindedly ad she worked my layers into a braid.

"I think... I might... It just had never occurred to me before but the more I think about it I... I think I fancy Neville," I whispered, blushing ferociously.

"HA!" Ginny squealed, stopping everything, "I KNEW it! I just KNEW it! Oh this is wonderful! Neville needs some happiness!"

I smiled weakly, my face still brightly colored.

"I can't wait- oh, but you two would be so CUTE together- I sound like such a girl for once I... You are going to tell him right?" she asked breathlessly.

"I... Yeah I suppose... When my courage gets up and I have a plan in my head," I stammered nervously.

Ginny nodded in understanding and went back to braiding my hair.

A/N: YAY! It is now summer vacation meaning I can actually update with some regularity. Also, I am very excited about the last movie. It'll put some flesh and bones on these characters, even though I hope to finish before then. It's still book verse no matter what new images will go into my head. I'm also sad… Harry Potter can't end. I grew up with it.

PLEASE REVIEW I EAT REVIEWS FOR NOURISHMENT…. Seriously…. Encouragement means I'll be more likely to write than to, say, play the Sims 3 or watch Youtube.

Lots of peace and love


	9. Ch 8: A Secret Revealed

Ch. 8 A Secret Revealed

_When you see yourself in a crowded room_

_Do your fingers itch, are you pistol-whipped_

_Will you step in line or release the glitch_

_Can you fall asleep with a panic switch_

_~Panic Switch by Silversun Pickups_

He was always there for me, in the end- no matter what happened to me, he would be there to help me up. He did so countless times before "the incident," and countless times afterwards.

I always seem to get ahead of myself, don't I?

When the Christmas holidays had ended, Ginny and I were both in a rather nervous mood. There had been no word of Luna and, what's more, Ron had disappeared without word or note. I, ever the optimist, thought he had finally found a way to find Harry and Hermione. Ginny, who had seen too much of this war, thought he had been taken right from under Bill and Fleur's nose.

The Hogwarts express was, thus, lifeless, but Seamus tried desperately to cheer the two of us up as Neville murmured words of a more soothing nature. But neither of them seemed to bring us outbox our funk, seeing as neither of them knew why we were in our funk.

Neville got up with Ginny to talk to the Patil twins and Lavender, as well as other members of the DA, in another compartment. Oddly enough, Seamus did not go with them. I had an excuse- I hadn't been getting a lot of sleep due to the Neville (and now Ron) conundrums and was too exhausted for Lavender's chatter.

"So did you have a nice holiday, Maggie? Besides whatever it is that's bothering you and Ginny," Seamus paused.

"Yeah," I shrugged, "It was nice and relaxing actually."

"Good, good," Seamus paused, "I'm sorry I didn't visit, but it's hard enough to get me out to school when there aren't a bunch of death eaters who'd like to kill me, you know?"

"Of course, Ireland is pretty far away," I nodded with a smile. There was a small awkward silence after that- awkward only because Seamus kept opening and closing his mouth like he wanted to say something but was changing his mind.

"Oh fine, I'm just going to say it... Um... Maggie, I was wrong about you in the beginning. You are a pretty cool lass," he smiled warmly.

"Oh thanks," I laughed,"I'm glad I won your trust in the end, really and truly. You're pretty cool too, Seamus."

He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah... It's more than that though... Um... I know this is the last thing anyone should be thinking about right now, and you'll probably scold me... But maybe that's why one should think about it, because the future is so uncertain... I dunno. What I do know, in the end, is how awesome you and really, um... How much I think I'd... Like to go out with you sometime?" he was blushing furiously and I felt heat rise to my own cheeks before I could cast the spell to stop it.

"Oh! Um..." I felt so awkward and, in the end, awful for what I was about to say, "I'm sorry, Seamus, I... I only like you as a friend... I kind of like someone else."

"Neville?" he asked bitterly. My eyes widened in shock.

"How...? I only realized it over the holidays..." I gasped.

"Well, if you didn't realize it, the rest of the DA saw it as inevitable," Seamus sighed, "I was fighting fate, I suppose."

"No, no!" I sighed, "I am really sorry, Seamus. Truly, I am. Please, let's still be friends. No awkwardness. I couldn't bare that."

He watched me for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, it was a stupid idea anyway. Plus, Neville would probably k-" Seamus stopped talking, as though as he had said too much. I glared at him.

"Seamus..." he smiled innocently at my warning, "What were you going to say..."

"Yeah, say it Seamus!" Neville suddenly laughed, reentering the compartment with Ginny. Ginny rolled her eyes and sat down, talking to me directly about Lavender's latest boy escapade. I listened dutifully, annoyed as Seamus sat across from us with a relieved smile on his face. Lucky bastard.

I made the biggest mistake of my life that February. It was almost Valentine's Day, and though every year of my life previously I had no reason to give much attention to the holiday, this year my heart started hammering at the mention of it. Somehow, someway, I was going to tell Neville that day. It seemed the most cliched and therefor the best. And, in my endless nervousness, I complained to the only person who knew about my feelings, whom I had sworn to secrecy.

Seamus Finnegan.

"Look," he paused, "why don't you just tell him in a situation that's masked as something else and then casually slip it into the conversation? Like you'll just be playing chess and then you randomly say 'Um, I like you. And check.'"

Turns out I was good at chess. Huh.

"Maybe not while playing chess, I've been beating him a lot lately and I think he's sick of it," I smiled fondly, "Though I like the idea. I think I know just what I'll do."

"Are you going to tell me?" Seamus laughed as we continued to walk to the Gryffindor common room.

"Nope, it's top secret," I grinned, "See yeah!"

Seamus rolled his eyes and went to his next class as I went into the common room. Lately, Neville had been asking a lot about hand magic, and when I had let slip that you could learn how to do it even as an adult he had begged me to teach him, arguing that it would be a good skill to have in a battle, whenever that may be. And he had a point, the problem is that you had to get a tattoo on your hand and I had never done it before, though I had been taught how.

So, I went up to him in the common room and sat next to him on the couch.

"Hey," he laughed, his face instantly lighting up at the sight of me so that my heart would do that stupid fluttering thing again. God dammit, that should be illegal.

"Hey," I grinned, "Um, I was thinking that on Saturday," Valentine's Day, no big deal, I added mentally, "I could try giving you that tattoo so we could start training?"

"Yeah!" Neville agreed eagerly, "That is an excellent idea!"

"Ok," I laughed, "We'll have to do it near Madam Pomphrey's office. If I screw up, I want us to be a hop, skip and a jump away from a nurse."

He nodded in agreement, smiling nervously- smiling because he was finally getting this, nervous because it _was_ dangerous. I had been very clear on that point. I smiled, though more nervous than he. I wad going to tell him how I feel.

This had to be a mistake.

Thus, that Saturday, I found myself holding Neville's hand, palm up, in a deserted corridor near Madam Pomphrey's office. My index finger on my left hand (the one for my hand magic) was delicately tracing the outline of two hands, palms out, with a circle intersecting them meaning to symbolize a ball of light energy that would function as magic. It was hard going; I constantly found myself more nervous than I should have been due to the presence of _Neville's_ hand in mine. He made jokes, in the meantime, in order to dispel the tension and distract him from the pain. I was doing my best, but magic _does_ hurt.

"When do I actually get to learn?" he finally asked, eagerly so.

"In about a week; the tattoo needs time to solidify with your bloodstream. Though, don't worry, as this is the only real part that hurts," I smiled reassuringly at him and he laughed.

He sighed and winced a my magic beam cut through his skin.

"Don't worry; the pain doesn't last long," I soothed, "Mine has never hurt me and I've had it since I was a baby."

Neville nodded and looked directly into my eyes, causing me to become distracted once again. I bit my lip and quickly looked away, my heart pounding even more than it had been- a feat I had considered impossible.

"I... I'm glad you came here, Mags," he offered, and I smiled giddily in response.

"Yeah?" I responded, reaching some of the final stages of the tattoo and realizing I had to drop the bomb soon.

"Well yeah," Neville paused, "I would never have met you if you hadn't. And, even though I wouldn't have realized it... I'd be missing out on something vital t-to me..." he blushed furiously and I tried hard to ignore the pounding of my heart as I began to finish the tattoo by creating direct links to his bloodstream.

"I'm glad I came too, I just wish my mother hadn't," I paused, "I would have missed you without knowing I missed you."

Neville beamed in response before wincing as I redirected one of his capillaries. Unfortunately, that meant we were done.

"You did excellently through this whole thing, Nev, bravo. We're done," I paused, examining my handiwork and not letting go of his hand, "And, um... By the way... I li-"

"Ms. Johnson, Mr. Longbottom, get your asses back to... What..." Alecto Carrow had just turned the corner to find us and, mid scold, saw that my left hand was currently alight like a wand tip and my wand definitely wasn't out.

"Where is your wand, half-blood?" she demanded in a dangerously low voice. My heart was still pounding, but for distinctly different reasons than before. My mouth was dry and my palms instantly started sweating.

"Up... Up my sleeve," I offered. Neville, who had gone deathly pale next to me, nodded in fervent agreement.

"You are wearing short sleeves, mutt," Alecto hissed.

My mind went blank.

"How do you do magic without a wand?" she continued, her voice now commandingly terrifying.

"Um... Magic?" I offered lamely, wanting to run away as fast as I could. Alecto stepped forward menacingly, and as I backed up to escape her the tide turned very quickly. Violently, she reached out to grab my arm and, what seemed to be instinctually, Nevill wrapped his arm around me to keep me away from her. Alecto hissed and wrenched me forward out of his grip, causing me to stumble across the floor. Neville tried to get me back by holding steadfastly to my hand, wrenching me away from Alecto, but her grip was too strong. Desperate, and watching me struggle with terror in his eyes, Neville rush forward and violently attacked Alecto to get her to release her grip on me. After a few moments of violent struggle and desperate shouts from me and Neville, Alecto pulled out her wan and with a blast of energy knocked Neville onto the ground. Almost in the same instant, she whipped out a knife and held it right up against my throat.

I was trapped.

Neville pulled out his own wand and snarled, "Let her go."

"I am afraid I cannot. Knowledge that she possesses will be invaluable to the Dark Lord," she paused, "And I will kill her if you do not back away and go back to your common room, swine."

Neville watched me desperately, hopelessness evident on his facial features. As I felt tears leak out of my eyes, I mouthed "go." It took him a while to accept it and comply, but when he did he ran away with a determined expression on his face.

"Well, mutt," Alecto cackled, "Let's see what makes you crack.

I gulped as she dragged me down to the dungeons and magically chained me to the wall, in a spread-eagle-like posture. I watched her defiantly as she pulled out her wand.

"How do you perform magic without a wand, bitch?" she snarled.

"I will never tell," I spat in response.

She glared at me before producing her wand and slashing it across the air in front of my face. I felt a horrible stinging sensation and cried out in pain. She repeated the process, scratching my arms and legs and chest, shouting at me to tell her the secrets. Eventually, I stopped screaming, though the pain was unbearable, and resorted to silent sobbing.

She stopped her magical torture and pulled out that hateful knife, and my sobs suddenly became loud and more wail-esque than anything else. She held the knife up to my chin, so I could see every one of those grotesque little warts on her face, and hissed, "Tell me, you muggle loving slut."

I moaned, "Never," and screamed as she traced a long scar across my shoulder. But even that did not loosen my tongue; it only created a huge mess and exhausted my vocal chords.

"Tell me, you insolent twerp!" she screamed. Despite the drying blood on my neck, I managed to shake my head no.

"Then this is your own doing," Alecto paused, and pointed her wand at me, "Crucio!"

The pain was beyond screaming, but I screamed anyway. I felt like my entire body was being ripped apart and set on fire. I wanted to die- I begged to die. It felt like someone was stabbing me over and over and over again. It seemed to go on for days and days, but the longest it could have gone on without me going completely insane was just thirty minutes.

But it did end, because if I went insane she wouldn't have found out how hand magic worked- not that she would find out anyway. I was released from the pain and began to sob uncontrollably. Why couldn't I be free? Why couldn't I just die and not have to suffer anymore?

"Fine," Alecto paused, smiling sinisterly, "If I can't get you to talk, perhaps my brother can." She walked out of the dungeon, leaving me to sob and bleed by myself.

I said no words, unable to form proper coherent sentences in my post-agony state of mind. The only thing that really came to my mind was the faces of the people I wanted to see the most: Thailus, my mom, my dad, Elena, Neville. Oh God... I was going to die down here...

The door to the dungeon opened and the other hateful Carrow entered, a sinister expression comparable to his sister's on his face. I wanted to start crying again, but I resisted, pulling myself together to resist whatever evil thing he had planned for me.

"How do you do it, bitch?" Amycus hissed in a very low and dangerous voice. I managed to whisper, "Not telling," though my voice was hoarse from all the screaming.

"Tell me now, and I'll let you go free," Amycus offered, a grin on his ugly face.

"I still won't tell," I hissed, trying my hardest to not start crying again.

"Fine, slut," he paused, "Then this is your own fault."

And, before I knew what was happening, I was suddenly naked with the flip of his wand and he was pulling off his robes.

My immediate reaction was to scream.

Hours later, everything hurt. Everything. I felt like I was broken into a million tiny pieces from the cumulative effect of what the Carrows did. Blood and… other liquids… were all over me and I couldn't stop sobbing no matter how hard I tried.

When Amycus had… finished… he left me, spitting in my face and stomping out of the dungeon in a huff. I wanted them to give up and let me go, but I knew I would probably be murdered before that happened. And now, it must have been dinner, and yet, I still was here.

I felt like I was looking at my life through a television screen; everything felt unreal an as if it had happened to someone else. And yet, I still was hurt. I just hadn't realized yet how hurt.

I felt more violated than anyone could possibly imagine and more shattered than a broken glass window. I wanted to die, for it all to end now. I was so weak by this point that any amount of hand magic usage would probably kill me; I only waited because I wanted to take one of those mother f***ers with me in a huge burst of energy.

The chains that held me to the wall were starting to cut into my wrists and ankles, exacerbating my already wounded body and soul and mind.

The door to the dungeon then opened again, and I readied myself and my hand magic. This would have to be quick; I couldn't risk her torturing me again or him raping me again. I just… I couldn't go through with it again. I would have rather died and that was what I was planning to do. But the sight that greeted me didn't cause feelings of extreme revulsion to course through me; more feelings of endless relief.

Ginny.

"OK we're going to do this quick- Bloody hell," Ginny screamed when she actually looked at me, "What the… What in the name of Merlin did they _do_ to you?"

"Alecto tortured me," I paused, collecting myself, "Amycus… Amycus raped me…"

Ginny almost threw up on the floor, but instead waved her wand and the clothes returned to my person and I was released from those God-awful chains. I fell to the floor, my legs and knees too weak for me to stand.

"Come _on_ Maggie, I only managed to distract them for so long, I'm going to have to go into hiding and we need to get you to the Common Room!" Ginny begged, helping me up. I gathered all my strength and managed to sprint, whilst limping, with her through the school, hearing a giant commotion in the Great Hall as we passed it.

"I managed to explode their dinners in their faces and send on them my infamous bat bogies," Ginny explained, "Though, I made the spell go on a loop, so until Flitwick or McGonagall, but most likely Snape, feels like helping them they won't really be able to escape them."

I smiled at her in thanks as we reached the Common Room.

"OK, it was obvious that it was me, and they won't hesitate to kill me or send me directly to Voldy himself. Good luck," Ginny paused before hugging me gently, aware of my scars and bruises, "Don't leave the Common Room."

"Thanks," I whispered, "Good luck to you too… Find Fred and George," who had recently gone into hiding themselves.

"That's the plan. Bye!" and Ginny ran off through the corridors and I limped into the Common Room.

I fell on the couch, my head whirring with chaotic thoughts that I couldn't even dream of organizing. I hugged my knees to my chest and felt myself shake uncontrollably, though I no longer seemed to cry. It had finally hit me what exactly had happened and what exactly I had lost.

Soon enough, the Gryffindor entourage entered the Common Room. Neville ran forward to me and immediately pulled me in his arms, and though I felt dirty and violated I did not recoil from the touch.

"What happened, Maggie?" Professor McGonagall demanded, using my first name for the first time in the whole six months I had been at the school.

I looked up, mainly at Neville, with bloodshot eyes and shook my head. I couldn't talk. Everything was broken.

"Please, Maggie," Neville urged, "Just a synopsis."

I swallowed, shaking madly, and mumbled, "Alecto tortured me with _Sectumsempra, _her knife, and _Crucio_," Neville breathed in sharply and held me closer to him as everyone around us gasped and cried out in outrage.

"Amycus raped me," I added, my voice unsteady and my hands shaking in my lap.

Silence.

Neville's grip on me only tightened, though he looked confused as to whether he should be holding me tighter or giving me space at this latest revelation. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to forget everything from that awful, awful day; I just wanted to sleep for a very long time.

I suddenly felt a warm sensation course over me, and I looked up to see Professor McGonagall performing a complex series of enchantments over me. I blinked, trying to indicate that I was confused, but I couldn't manage much more in the ways of communication at the moment.

"There. Your scars have stopped bleeding, whatever fluids are on your body are now cleaned up, and you're not pregnant," she paused, "I can't do much more for any more… mental and emotional… wounds you may have. Did you tell them?"

I shook my head, but buried my face in Neville's chest to try and communicate that I didn't want to communicate any more. Sleep. Sleep was all I wanted.

I heard everyone around me shuffle, but no one spoke. More people- Seamus, Lavender and Parvati- sat on the couch with us, but I had no idea why. I was just trying to not fall apart into a million little pieces.

Later on, I hear McGonagall whisper instructions to Neville, Lavender, Parvati and Seamus to make sure I was never alone in the common room even if that meant someone had to ditch class (what did it matter anyway, she even said,) and to make sure I bathed, slept and ate. They took the job very seriously, though the person who seemed to do everything but bathe me and help me dress was Neville, though I was too in shock to really consider what that could mean. And what would it mean, anyway?

Nothing seemed to mean much to me anymore, not even when Neville finagled Thailus' calling through the Floo. I saw him, I knew what it should have meant that he was there… but I couldn't even muster up a word of hello.

Thailus' roar of outrage, pain, and hopelessness filled the school and apparently caused alarm on the part of many teachers and students. Professor Snape, God bless him (for he had made sure to keep the Carrows distracted long enough so that Ginny could rescue me, I later found out) argued it away as the roaring of one of Hagrid's many monsters.

I know that I stayed like this for two whole weeks only because my mates told me so after I finally woke up. To me, it felt like the same hour replaying over and over in my head, no matter how hard I tried to block it out: Alecto torturing me, Amycus raping me. Instant replay… Instant replay… Instant replay…

On the last day, I had a funny feeling Neville was trying to stop me from shaking but I couldn't really tell much else around me. Seamus might have been cracking jokes, I don't know. What I do remember, the first thing I remember with my usual sane clarity, is McGonagall coming in and saying, "Well, Maggie… I've finally arranged an escape route for you, now that You-Know-Who has a price on your head it will be hard but…"

Shock.

No.

This new emotion and though must have shown on my face because McGonagall abruptly stopped talking. I composed myself for the first time in two weeks and stood up, causing everyone around me to enter into their own kinds of shock.

"I am not leaving," I declared, my voice hoarse and my eyes ablaze.

McGonagall opened her mouth to protest, but I cut her off.

"Do you realize the satisfaction that'll give them? That'll give _Voldy_ and every other scumbag that works for the son of a bitch?" I screamed, "I am not going to let this break me. I'm sorry I already did, I'm sorry that I have been a lump, but leaving? Leaving is giving up. Leaving is telling them that they win and they have one less enemy, for by letting me leave the country at least they've gotten something they've wanted: my absence. No. They can't know how to perform hand magic and they can't have the satisfaction that they've scared me away. No. NO. **NO!**" I roared, stomping my foot on the ground, "They may have broken me, but I'm not dead yet. _I'm not dead yet_."

Everyone watched me in shock, though Seamus (in typical Seamus fashion) looked like he was about to cheer really, really loudly. Even Neville looked tempted to clap. McGonagall watched me carefully for a long time before nodding in acceptance.

"I honestly didn't expect anything else from you, Maggie," she paused, "And I do admire your courage. Just… for your own safety and sanity, don't leave this room. The four that have been caring for you will bring you food, I promise." She hesitantly put her hand on my shoulder before leaving.

I remained standing, and I had to take a few deep breaths to stop myself from returning to my catatonic state. I then turned around to face my friends for the first time since I had left them.

Neville's face is the sharpest image I have from that moment. His look clearly said, in ways that I cannot even explain, _I will never let this happen to you again. _I swallowed and sat next to him, and the rest of the gang gathered around anxiously.

"Hi honey," Neville murmured softly, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. My heart skipped at least ten beats.

"Do you need anything? Anything at all?" Seamus offered, sitting on the other side of me and patting my arm.

"I can cut his balls of," Lavender offered, completely serious. I laughed weakly, making Parvati smile in relief.

"I don't really need anything that I don't already have around me," I smiled weakly at them, "Though, I probably should apologize to Thailus."

Neville nodded urgently, "Yeah… he didn't take it well _at all_. Though, it seems you remember this?"

"It's really the only thing I do remember from this time," I mumbled. Everyone nodded, gently patting my knee (Lavender) or shoulder (Parvati) or arm (Seamus.) Neville just wrapped his arm around my waist and closed his eyes.

"Don't scare me like that again, please," Neville paused. Another round of agreeing nods went through and I smiled.

"I'll try," I whispered.

"Seriously, this is what, the second time you've gone catatonic on us?" Lavender laughed, "Though both instances are completely, utterly understandable, it does get very scary."

I smiled and nodded again, feeling more and more comfortable by the minute. Soon enough, everyone but Neville, the ever-present, left. I was trying to compose the rest of myself and failing miserably as he sat next to me and held me close to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly after a while, "You do _not_ have to, but maybe it'll help…"

I looked at him for a long time and realized that he was the only person, sans Thailus, that I could tell- and talking probably would help in the end.

"I… I… I…" I swallowed, "I've never wanted to die so much before in my entire life."

Neville breathed in sharply and held my upper arms loosely, looking directly into my eyes and trying to steady my now labored breathing with his gaze.

"She… She… It hurt so… it hurt so _much_," my words turned to sobs at the end, and he held me close to him as I sobbed in his chest.

"I want to kill her. I want her to suffer. No one should perform that curse on anyone and I want her to go to Hell for doing that to you," Neville whispered angrily. I wondered, briefly, at his strong reactions and feelings to the curse, but continued on once I had composed myself and stopped my sobs.

"He… He… He… I feel so… dirty and violated and broken, Nev," I started crying again but this time I knew I couldn't stop myself if I wanted to finish my story, "He kept _talking_ and calling me _names_ and telling me to tell him and was rough with every inch of my body and I never needed to see any part of him naked and I just… I just… I just… He called me a horrible slut, whore, c*** and I started to believe I was one…" the sobs were back.

"You. Are. Not. Any. Of. Those. Things," Neville told me, his voice strong but his eyes kind, "He is just an inhumane bastard who wanted to break you into telling him about hand magic and you know what? _You weren't broken._ You are stronger than he or his sister could ever be and that drove him _nuts_. He violated you but for that he is going to burn in hell for years and years as soon as I can kill him," Neville paused, "You've done _absolutely nothing wrong at all_, Mags. Nothing at all."

I looked at him and had never wanted to kiss him so much in my life, but I refrained. I wasn't ready for anything emotionally trying even if it was good, and who knows- maybe he was _really_ taking the big-brother idea seriously.

I clutched his shirt and sobbed into it until I finally fell asleep, though he was right. Crying- and talking about it- did help me move past something in my head. And sleep, when it did finally come, was not wrought with instant-replay nightmares. I actually think I had a good dream, though I do not remember it today.

A/N: YAY! TWO CHAPTERS IN TWO DAYS! Come on, I get an award for that amount of proliferation, right? Right? Like… reviews? Please? I love this story so much it makes me depressed to see it be so unrecognized.

Side note: Bubbles of Ebil, I love you for being my sole reviewer and giving me a reason to keep going besides my own passionate love of this story. At least someone out there likes it. Yay :)

Please Review Please Review Please Review Please Review!


	10. Ch 9: Hiding

Ch. 9 Hiding

_Oh, a storm is threat'ning _

_My very life today _

_If I don't get some shelter _

_Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away _

_War, children, it's just a shot away _

_It's just a shot away _

_War, children, it's just a shot away _

_It's just a shot away _

_Ooh, see the fire is sweepin' _

_Our very street today _

_Burns like a red coal carpet _

_Mad bull lost its way _

_~ Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones_

The next morning I awoke tucked into my bed, though still in the sweatpants and t shirt I had been in before falling asleep. I stretched and yawned and stumbled out of my room. I must admit, I was rather confused, as I had definitely fallen asleep in Neville's arms on the couch. So why had happened?

I was greeted with the sight of Neville waiting for me outside with a cup of coffee, my addiction. I beamed at him and took it eagerly.

"Did you...?" I asked silently, implying my tucked in state.

He nodded with a small smile, "Yeah, was that..."

"It was nice," I smiled, blushing furiously without a care to try and control it, "Thanks."

He beamed in response and sighed in frustration, "I have to go to Charms, I missed it last time and the four of us agreed we wouldn't miss the same class twice in a row. Seamus will be here, though," he explained.

I nodded in understanding and hugged him in thanks, watching him go with a nostalgic sigh. Seamus then ran down from the boy's dormitory rather abruptly and smiled at me in an annoyed manner.

"Are you going to tell him? Ever?" he begged with the smallest of sighs.

I shook my head furiously while replying, "No. I don't want to make things awkward when I need his complete presence so much."

Seamus rolled his eyes, "It won't make it awkward, I can almost guarantee."

"Yeah right," I muttered in annoyance before changing the subject, "Wanna play chess?" Seamus rolled his eyes, for as easy as it was to beat Neville, Seamus had continuously beaten me and was now bored with it, though I was getting better.

"Alright, alright, though only cause you've been through emotional and physical and mental trauma," he conceded.

"Wouldn't that just be trauma?" I laughed as we sat down.

"Shut up," Seamus chuckled. He beat me again, but it took him a lot longer than usual. He indicated that meant progress, but I still maintain I suck at that game.

A lot.

The days and weeks dragged on in my little prison, though I did manage to have a good time and talk with my friends. I visited Snape occasionally, though also sporadically for fear of those hateful Carrows, at night whilst under the cloak of a dillusionment charm. And, whenever Neville and I were alone in the common room (which seemed to be happening increasingly often, to my general dismay) I would teach him the art of hand magic.

The lessons moved slowly, for he was still getting used to the idea of not having to use his wand and I was a terrible teacher, partially just for being a terrible teacher and partially because Neville himself distracted me terribly. I will confess, though, that I had given up on the idea of telling him how I feel.

"Ok, so, I don't even really need to use a spell?" Neville asked one afternoon for the millionth time.

"Nope. Just imagine in your mind what you want to happen, and then just… go. You have to feel it," I smiled weakly, for it wasn't an exact science and I knew that it would be troublesome for him to get used to.

"Give me an example," Neville groaned in annoyance.

"Well," I paused, swallowing hard, "Let's say you wanted to light a fire." I paused, turned to the fireplace, and snapped my fingers, "You just have to imagine the fire happening and will your own energy to go into its creation, is all. You have to feel it inside of yourself."

Neville looked at me for a moment like I was crazy, but finally closed his eyes, took a deep breath and snapped his fingers. A small, almost dying fire appeared. It disappeared right away, but not before Neville could see it and cheer in excitement.

"Look Maggie! I did it!" Neville pointed eagerly. I grinned at him and nodded, and watched in amusement as he put his hand to his forehead and swayed on the spot.

"Well I think that's it for the day. You're new at this so even that little amount of energy is making you sick," I paused, reaching out to hold him steady, "Breathe."

He nodded, holding onto my shoulder as he composed himself. I  
helped him sit on the couch and watched as his face grew steadily paler.

_Shit_, I thought anxiously, "OK, I am about to do something very, very stupid for you."

He looked at me wearily and I grinned, trying to make it seem like it wasn't as big of a deal as it was going to be.

"I'm sneaking out," I paused, "And I'm going to get you some tonic from Madam Pomfrey. Now, before you protest, keep in mind that you're getting sick and any extreme activity on your part is not going to help you at all," I raised a hand to stop him from talking and he glared instead.

"Look. Everyone is at class. So much is everyone at class is that you're _ditching _class. You need something to help your systems heal and I have no idea how to make that sort of tonic. I'll be careful, OK? I promise," I looked at him as he remained incredibly pale and didn't seem to recover, "I have to."

He watched me go with desperation in his eyes and I took a deep breath. The hallways were empty, thank God, but I still felt my palms sweat and my heart pound. A disillusionment charm wouldn't be useful, as it would just look like the background behind me was moving and therefore suspicious. I took to the shadows, pacing along the wall and trying to not breathe so loudly.

I turned the corner to the grand staircase and began running downwards, reminding myself than it was the middle of the class period and the Carrows were both teaching. I was safe, I was safe, I was safe.

I reached the top, near the nurse's office, and snuck inside to find myself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy.

I hadn't interacted with him much; just once when I had first come to the school. And now, he was clearly ditching class and had clearly caught me outside of my realm of safety.

"Well," he looked mildly amused, but still disgusted like always, "The American half-blood emerges from her cavern of safety."

I looked at him, glaring. I recalled every awful thing he had done to my friends, both this year and years past; and to the legendary friends of my friends.

I spit in his face.

He grimaced as he wiped it from his face and roughly grabbed my arm, "Now, did you _really_ think you could get away with that? I am a Death Eater you know."

I laughed loudly in his ear, "You're about as much of a Death Eater as Filch is a wizard."

He shouted in protest and pulled out his wand. I did much the same, glaring at him and awaiting his next move. Curse after curse was shot back and forth between us as we dogged between statues and empty classrooms, though he managed to hit me with a nasty Sectumsempra across my right cheek that burned like hell. I did, however, manage to do much the same to his right hand as we fought back and forth in the middle of the corridor, shouting and causing as much of a ruckus as anything. It was a miracle the charms class down the hall did nothing in response.

Malfoy sent a mild stunning spell that sent me turning into the wall. I slammed into it, bruising my right arm, and the act of falling twisted my left ankle. I cried out in pain and looked up to see him poised above me, his wand out and his eyes filled with glee.

"The Dark Lord will honor me for this," Malfoy laughed, "Maybe my family will go back into good standing after the incident."

"What incident?" I snapped, but everything ached along my right side and I realized it was one hell of a stunning spell that had hit me there, and as such I couldn't manage my growl in quite the same manner as usual.

"The Potter incident," Malfoy whispered angrily, "We had him and he got away. My father, aunt and mother has already paid horribly and maybe, by bringing you and your 'hand magic,' we will be rewarded."

"Change sides," I hissed through my teeth as the pain increased, "You'll be protected and Voldy will never hurt you again."

Malfoy shook his head, "No. I've made my choice," and he pointed his wand at me. I braced myself for being fully stupefied, or perhaps petrified, or immobilized or something so that I could be easily brought away. My side was hurting more and more and I felt my cheek wound's blood drip onto my shoulder.

"Hey, Looser," I heard an all-too-familiar voice call out. I looked up and over and saw Neville, with a little bit more color in his cheeks, standing and facing Malfoy with his wand out.

"Get away from her," he whispered angrily, eyes narrowed and face fierce.

"Ha!" Malfoy laughed obnoxiously, "Like you could do anything to me, Longbottom."

Neville glared for another moment before whispering hoarsely, "Watch me."

A huge curse blasted from his wand and sent Malfoy sprawling on his back. I watched, helpless and amazed, as the two fought each other even more vigorously than I had fought him. Snaps that indicated a curse being shot filled the air as the two practically blasted apart every statue in the hallway. I groaned as my entire right side went numb and clutched my left ankle, trying to think of what I could do in a minute to fix myself and help Neville.

But then I watched as two things happened at once. Malfoy screamed out, "SECTUMSEMPRA!" and slashed his wand across Neville, creating a long gash from his right shoulder down to the left side of his hip. But at the same time, Neville cast some sort of curse- I didn't hear the incantation- that caused Malfoy to be sent across the hall and slam into the back wall, falling unconscious. Neville fell to the floor crying out in pain and clutching his quickly-becoming-bloodied shirt. I cried out and tried to get up to help him, but soon fell to the floor.

Madam Pomfrey then came running out, her eyes wide and terrified.

"_What_ is going on here? Mr. Longbottom! Ms. Johnson! _Ms. Johnson!_ You should be hiding…" I looked up at her angrily.

"Neville was losing energy due to magical causes and I tried to sneak up here to get a tonic from you. Malfoy cast some sort of spell that completely injured my right side and I sprained my left ankle. He's unconscious over there," I pointed feebly with my left arm, "And now Neville has a huge gash…"

Madam Pomfrey quickly went through a series of incantations on Neville and then on me, making my right side no longer feel like it wasn't there, only _very_ painful.

"Get back to the common room, _now_, before the Carrows find you!" she ordered, "Ms. Johnson, I will be down in a moment with a potion for your side and your ankle. I stopped Mr. Longbottom's wound from bleeding but you're going to have to clean him with a potion I will bring along with yours. Quickly, now!"

Neville, who didn't have a limp despite the immobility of his chest, helped me up and helped me limp quickly to the Common Room. I tried not to cry while it felt like pins and needles were stabbing every inch of my right side. Neville looked determined, though it wasn't only his chest that was slashed- his arms were badly cut and I could see a nasty bruise forming on his cheek.

"How did you get down there?" I whispered as we reached the top of the stairwell, not without effort.

"I felt my energy return to me and I just got this really, really foreboding feeling and I knew I had to find you," Neville paused, "I knew someone was going to attack you and I just… I couldn't bear the idea of you getting tortured again."

"You recovered? Really?" I looked at him in shock.

"What? You never get that sick after using hand magic…" Neville looked confused.

I opened my mouth to explain when I felt five different types of chills go through my body as a horrible voice called out, "Well, well, well… if it isn't the muggle-lover and the slut, injured and unable to fight back."

I turned around, frozen except for that, to see the male Carrow looking at me with greedy eyes.

"Are you ready to tell me now, or should we just try that again?" he whispered quietly. I felt everything within me grow cold and I started shaking madly, realizing there was absolutely no way out that wouldn't kill me or Nev.

Neville didn't even say anything, just stared at him with the darkest look in his eyes. He pulled out his wand and held out his left palm and simultaneously sent a huge blast of energy into his gut and a stunning spell directly at his head. He immediately crumpled to the floor, and Neville did nothing except turn around with me still supported by him and continued walking, quietly, to the Common Room.

I stared at him open-mouthed.

"How… How… How…" I repeated as we entered the Room. He still had that scary dark look in his eyes as he looked at me.

"I told you, Maggie," he whispered quietly, making me almost fear for myself at his tone of voice, "He would never lay a hand on you again."

"But… But… But… _Neville_, that amount of simultaneous magic should have _killed_ a beginner, or at least make you really weak… you shouldn't have been able to support me over here. And you had just been sick from using magic before! This is impossible," I shook my head.

"Why?" he asked bluntly, that dark look still in his eyes.

I swallowed, and murmured, "You're scaring me."

His eyes immediately softened and he swallowed, "Sorry. I just… Please explain," now he looked weak, his cheeks draining of color almost instantaneously after calming down in his facial expression.

"The more you use hand magic, the more used to it you get and the more you can do, and the cycle continues. There are some things that just kill you no matter what, but… when you're a beginner it doesn't take much to kill you. Hardly anything at all to weaken you. And it normally takes _ages_ to get better, especially this early on," I paused, "It is incredibly remarkable that you managed to do everything you've done since you first cast that flame."

Neville shrugged, though he looked like he was about to vomit.

"Just… relax," I soothed, "Well, this means you're a natural. Though, I have to ask… what was going through your head when…"

"He is never going to hurt you again," the dark look was back and Neville, once again, looked healthy and determined, "Never."

I swallowed compulsively, "OK. So the instinct to protect me must have triggered some sort of adrenaline rush that allowed your magical energy quota to increase enough to practically kill him. And a similar thing must have happened when you realized I was probably in danger."

Neville shrugged again, still with that dark look in his eyes that made me exceptionally nervous as Madam Pomfrey came running in with four bottles in her hands. She handed two to me, one filled with a clear liquid and the other filled with a purple liquid.

"Drink both of them, every last drop," she instructed. She then handed me one filled with a bright, electric blue liquid that seemed to be excessively viscous.

"This one you have to spread on his wound, and maybe yours too," she examined my cheek wearily, "To keep them from getting infected or start bleeding again."

She finally handed a bottle filled with a green liquid to Neville and explained, "Drink that, every last drop. You two, _don't leave the Common Room for any reason_. Amycus Carrow is on the warpath looking for you two and only Professor McGonagall is keeping him away."

We nodded and she left in a flurry of robes. I drank both of the vials she had handed to me and Neville did the same with his, color filling his cheeks even more fully now and more life visibly returning to his actions. I grabbed the electric blue goop and nodded to him.

"I think I have to take my shirt off," Neville whispered softly. I nodded again, but now my heart was moving at breakneck speeds and everything suddenly became very, very hot.

When he did, I managed to get distracted from his naked torso by a very long and angry looking gash running across his from. I gasped and put my hand to my mouth and looked up at him desperately. He shrugged, trying to pass it off as no big deal, but I felt tears leak through my eyes.

"Oh Nev," I whispered, "This is so bad… Neville…"

He smiled, "Anything for you."

The room was spinning again, and I think my heart grew some sort of feathery wings structure and flew off into the sunset.

I took out the blue goop and poured some of it onto my hand. I spread it gently onto his shoulder portion of the wound and he winced violently.

"I'm sorry, we have to do this," I mumbled. He nodded and braced himself for the rest of the goop.

I used my fingertips to spread it so it would be more concentrated in the wound and I tried to not think about what was happening too much. If I did, I would realize that my fingers were running sensuously along his bare skin and the next logical step was only making out on the couch in a compromising position. The lower I got on his torso, the faster my heart seemed to beat and I really wanted to have some ice thrown on me.

_No, not some_, I realized as I got closer to his hips, _a lot a lot a lot a lot… I want to bathe in the Antarctic ocean… _I was swallowing compulsively every five seconds and I couldn't bring myself to look into his eyes. My mouth felt really, really dry.

When I finally reached the finish of the scar, I was terrified to look back up at him as neither of us had said a word. Though, the more I realized how close I was to just… I don't even know… I kept thinking in a sing-song voice _F*** F*** F***idy F*** F***…_

I finally brought myself to look up at him and saw in his scarred, bruised face an unfathomable expression. I swallowed and sat back from him, weakly singing, "Ta-da!"

He grinned, also weakly, and grabbed the bottle of blue goop. I stared at him, nervous as hell, as he did the same thing to the deep scar along my cheek, except, he was working with my face, and as such our eyes could not leave each other's. I was staring into those immeasurable brown eyes and I didn't know what to do as his fingertip traced from the lowest part of my forehead down my cheek (the far right edge of my right eye) to my chin. I wanted to moan. I didn't even notice that my right side had stopped hurting.

When he finished, he sat back from me and gingerly pulled on his shirt. I tried to breathe evenly and somehow regain some sort of mental capacity to talk to him, but the only think I could think about was how soft his stomach had felt beneath my fingers and how warm he felt as well and…

"What do you think the others are going to say when they see us? You should see how many scars you have on your face Mags," Neville laughed, though his laugh shook some and I looked at him questioningly.

"I dunno, but you probably look worse," I grinned, "You have a bruise the size of Canada on your cheek."

He stuck his tongue out at me and I was trying really hard to not think about what… erm… what it would be like to… Oh God…

The door to the Common Room opened, thank God, cutting off my train of thought and making me regain my sanity. Seamus and Parvati and Lavender came in and played the gasp-at-their-wounds show, but all I could think about was the fact that Neville had reached out and held my hand during the conversation and wasn't letting go.

Ginny was gone and the castle was mainly quiet. Neville had gone back to going to class after a couple of days, but of course he couldn't stay unpunished forever.

I was reading in an armchair, watching out of the corner of my eye the flickering of the fire in the fireplace. It was late, and most students were at dinner or the library. It was also a beautiful day outside for March and there were many students on the grounds wherever the Dementors weren't.

The door to the Common Room burst open and I looked behind me in alarm to see Seamus carrying Neville. He was limp, but his eyes were open and he looked mainly sane, though he had about five new gashes on his face and his hand was rather bloody.

I ran forward, tears streaming down my face as I helped Seamus set Neville down on the couch.

"What happened, what happened, what happened?" I demanded, crying and spreading some of the blue goop (there was a lot left over and Madam Pomfrey just let us have it) on his new wounds.

Neville laughed weakly and I glared at him to be quiet, looking up at Seamus to explain.

"Well, the Carrows decided that Crabbe and Goyle needed to practice their Sectumsempra and Cruciatus curses out on the school's biggest 'troublemaker,'" Seamus did air quotes around the last word, "And they definitely pushed some of the boundaries on how long you can be under the Cruciatus curse before going insane."

I gasped and held Neville's face between my hands and looked directly into his eyes for signs of madness, "Are you crazy?" I looked up at Seamus, "Is he…"

"I'm fine, Maggie. Barely a scratch on me," he chuckled softly, "Though, I'm pissed they tried to kidnap Gran."

"They _what_?" I screeched, "Why?"

"To gain control of me I suppose," he paused, "But no, I'm not mad."

I rolled my eyes but I was filled with extreme relief as I finished cleaning up the blood on his hand and cleaning the cut on his wrist. Seamus walked away quietly as Neville gingerly sat up and I sat next to him, not leaving his side even though we eventually fell asleep next to each other on the couch, quiet in speech but expressive only in our gazes.

The Easter holidays passed without much incident, though it was mainly just Neville, Seamus and I cooped up in the Common Room together, goofing off and not venturing to the outdoors- except Seamus, who left to get food. But then, the month of April came.

April is my favorite month today, if that helps at all. It wasn't before.

It was mid-April and I was reading my book, once again- the book I never seemed to be able to finish thanks to interruptions. I was thinking about how much I missed home and wanted to go back to it, though my hopes of such didn't seem to be high anymore now that I couldn't even leave the Gryffindor Common Room without getting cursed by some offending person. It was the middle of the class period and I didn't think I'd get interrupted, and I had about five pages left to go…

Of course. The door of the Common Room opened and Neville, as always, came running in. He was out of breath and frenetic in his movements, though he looked at me with a rather amused expression on his face.

"What did you do _this_ time?" I sighed, closing my book and standing up.

"Well, I have to go into hiding- _real_ hiding. And I have to direct their attention from here so they don't get permission to come in here and get you of course," Neville reassured, "Sorry about that."

"Wait, **_what_**?" I demanded, running up to him and looking for any new wounds.

"No, they didn't get me, but they're probably going to kill me this time as soon as they stitch themselves back together again, no big deal. Though, I think Professor McGonagall is stalling them, bless her," Neville murmured fondly.

"What did you _DO_?" I shouted, looking at him in terror.

"Well, I was in Dark Arts, right? And Amycus was talking about all the different ways to torture someone, like he does. And he basically gave the class a play-by-play of what he did to you," I stared at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know, right? Awful. No one there was happy about it, not even Crabbe and Goyle, though that might have been out of disgust at his details rather than anything else. But the rest of the Slytherins- even Malfoy- looked horrified, and of course everyone else was too. And I just wasn't going to stand for it any longer, obviously. So I stood up and cut off his balls with Sectumsempra," he shrugged matter-of-factly.

"You _what_?" my eyes were wide and I felt my jaw drop.

"Yup. You could hear the thunk as they fell to the floor beneath his robes. Well, obviously he was screaming bloody murder and everyone in the class was pretty much doing the same thing, well, the girls were also screaming in disgust and Seamus was laughing his head off. I just ran out of there of course, and I met McGonagall and Alecto in the hallway. McGonagall managed to help me get past her but I saw them going towards Amycus and of course she's going to be equally pissed. I wonder if they'll be able to stitch them back on again? It's an interesting conundrum," Neville paused, "Anywho, gotta go into hiding now, is the short of it."

I looked at him like he was crazy. He had said the whole story in the most cheerful voice since Mickey Mouse and I was just shocked, though also, deeply amused and grateful.

"Don't look at me like that, I wanted to cut his wiener off too but I felt that would be much for the moment when I'm just going to kill him some day anyway," he paused, "Ever since you told us what he did to you I've wanted to do that."

I smiled, though the situation wasn't funny at all, and asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"Go into hiding!" he asserted, "I have to. Lord knows this is the sort of thing that gives them automatic permission to hunt me down for. Anywho, I felt I should let you know, before I just disappeared from view."

I felt tears flood my eyes, "I… I can't… No… _Nev_…"

"I know, it sucks. Balls, actually," Neville paused, "But I have to."

I nodded and tried to stop crying and failed miserably as I sobbed, "I'm going to miss you so much. Be safe."

_Now or never…_

I opened my mouth to finally just tell him- tell him that I loved him, God dammit, because 'like' no longer worked in the strength-of-words department- when he pulled me towards him and gave me the biggest hug I'd ever received.

"I'll miss you too, Mags. Maggie Mags. Be safe yourself," he paused, swallowed, and pulled away, "We deserve a better goodbye than this, but I feel like I hear them coming."

I nodded. He then sent me into complete shock-mode by pulling me forward and kissing me on the forehead, his lips lingering there, and running out the door. I watched as the portal closed and couldn't get my thoughts to go back to coherency.

_And then there was one…_

I curled up on the floor and cried out of pure lonesomeness. Not that I wasn't touched by what Neville did, but I still… it would have been better to have had him with me.

Seamus came in and held me as I cried, in a very Neville-like fashion, though it wasn't the same and he knew it.

"Well, you have to admire his courage, eh?" Seamus finally said at one point in the evening, "Amycus was really being _more_ than a pig."

"I'm not saying I don't appreciate what he did!" I sobbed, "I just… he's _gone_, Seamus, he's _gone_."

"He's safe, wherever he is," Seamus paused, "At dinner Amycus and Alecto couldn't stop screaming about how they would find him no matter what, meaning, they haven't found him yet."

"Are his balls reattached?" I asked feebily.

"Unfortunately, yes," Seamus sighed, "Though, according to rumor, Madam Pomfrey had to be repeatedly threatened by Alecto before she did anything. A Cruciatus curse may have been involved."

I smiled weakly and soon fell asleep next to him, my dreams filled with that same instance of Neville kissing my forehead over and over again, like some sort of subconscious wish-fulfillment loop.

When I woke up, Seamus had brought me breakfast, and we spent the morning not talking about the direness of the situation. He wasn't going to go to class, as apparently the Carrows had been shooting him dirty looks for his hysterical laughter at the whole situation, and also, he didn't want me to be alone. I apparently looked "Rather suicidal, and I mean that in the nicest way possible Maggie."

We played Wizard Chess- I actually won- and mainly just whispered to each other about where we think Neville could have been. I managed to stop crying midway through the morning and was vowing to find him again, someday, and kiss him properly and live happily ever after with him- end of story. No more Voldy, no more resistance, no more worry. We'd go to America and be bleedin' happy.

And then the Common Room door opened.

"If I can't have the Longbottom brat, at least I have you, bitch!" I looked up and saw Alecto cackling with her wand pointed at me. Before I could even think, Seamus had stood up and screamed, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" and Alecto froze, falling over onto the ground.

"RUN MAGGIE!" Seamus shouted. I stumbled over the furniture and took off sprinting down the hallway, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I frantically thought of where in hell I should have gone.

There were teachers and students everywhere in the hallways trying to help me escape, though I had no idea of where to go. I managed to narrowly evade Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy- in that order- but was trapped when I ran into that hateful Amycus.

"Hello, whore," he grinned evilly, "Your boyfriend might have though he had me, but I'm all stitched up and ready to have another go, eh?"

Amycus backed me into a wall and held a knife up to my throat. I froze, emotionless and thoughtless, as he began to cut the sensitive skin underneath my ear and sneered at me, his breath hot and awful smelling on my face. I shut down, ready to just die, because if I didn't pay attention to what was happening maybe I could sleep through the whole affair. The pain along my cheek as he cut there was awful, but at least there wasn't any removal of clothing yet and perhaps, perhaps, I'd die before then.

"Stupefy," a calm, cold voice called out, and Amycus froze and fell to the floor in a lump, the knife clattering next to him. I looked up and saw Professor Snape standing there, his wand out and his face furious.

"Go to the seventh floor," he paused, "There is a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls ballet. Walk through that corridor three times thinking, in no fewer words, 'I need someplace to hide from the Carrows where no one on the Dark Side can find me and I can live for a long time.' Think it each time you walk through there," he reached out and squeezed my wrist, "Good luck."

I nodded and sprinted off to the seventh floor, not trying to think about how much Snape had just risked for me as I reached the corridor.

I sprinted by it the first time, thinking the phrase exactly, wondering what in hell this was going to do to help me out.

I sprinted by it the second time, thinking the phrase exactly, but froze when I saw Alecto limping up the staircase and coming towards me.

I quickly ran by it the final time, thinking the phrase exactly, and trying my hardest not to scream as Alecto came running up to me with her wand out just as I turned to see a door appear in the wall. I ran through the door , feeling curses woosh past my ears and her evil laughter fill them as she came behind me and…

The door slammed shut in front of her and completely disappeared.

I fell to the floor, finally letting the flood of emotions I had dammed run through me, and curled up into a ball, sobbing. Now I was completely alone, and- worse than that- he had touched me again. That bastard had touched me again and my face was bleeding and he had touched me.

I did find comfort in the fetal position on the floor, though, I knew that there was only one person I actually needed right then and there, more than food or air or water or being free.

"_Maggie_?" I heard that wonderful, wonderful Welsh voice ask in amazement. I thought I was hallucinating out of want, but when I looked up I saw Neville staring at me in amazement.

"Hello," I smiled weakly, "You came here to hide too, eh?"

Neville watched me for a moment before laughing and offering his hand to help me up.

"Yes. Welcome to the Room of Requirement," he paused, a huge grin on his face, "Get comfortable."

A/N: That chapter was a lot longer than I had originally planned it to be, and I definitely cut five scenes from it. Ah well. I love all the people who have favorite this story and reviewed- well, the two of you in the latter case- because I love this story so much. The next chapter is the best chapter, though, when this story was rated M it was ten times longer, if that gives anyone any sort of hint, so now I have to think of more stuff to put in. Should be interesting.

PLEASE REVIEW!


	11. Ch 10: Stick Together

Ch. 10 Stick Together

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors_

_Leading you down into my core_

_Where I've become so numb without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold _

_Until you find it there and lead it back home_

_(Wake me up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Wake me up inside_

_(Save me)_

_Call my name and save me from the dark_

_(Wake me up)_

_Bid my blood to run_

_(I can't wake up)_

_Before I come undone_

_(Save me)_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

_~ Bring Me To Life by Evanescence _

The Room of Requirement was officially my favorite room in the entire castle of Hogwarts- and I was definitely a fan of Hogwarts overall. Once Neville had finished explaining it, and everything it had meant to the DA and to the famous Harry Potter, I wanted to give the room a hug. But you can't give rooms hugs, so that wasn't going to work out.

"The room really came through this time, though," he continued, taking my hand and leading me around. There was a small fireplace, two hammocks hanging side-by side beneath hangings of red and gold and purple and aqua, a couch (actually, it was a loveseat, but I tried my hardest to ignore this fact,) a table with chairs, and a bathroom. Finally, on the opposite wall from where I had come in was a portrait of a slight, blond girl.

"That," he explained, pointing with his free hand, "Leads directly to the Hog's Head. The Room can't produce food for some reason, so it provided by bringing me- now us- to the one place in Hogsmeade we know we'll be safe."

"Why do we know the Hog's Head is safe? I mean, I'm sure it is, I just… am a newbie," I sighed in defeat. He laughed.

"Aberforth Dumbledore runs it, is why. He really has been the caterer of the DA from the beginning, though according to Harry he ratted us out to Albus Dumbledore. Anyway, he said he'd give me food, which is great, cause I was starving this morning," Neville chuckled, "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head and stared at Neville like he was crazy, "Are you alright? You're positively… giddy!"

"Well, I'm great!" Neville laughed, "Never been better."

I continued to look at him like he was crazy and he finally sighed and shrugged.

"On the one hand, I feel safer now than I have had for months," he paused, "I've closed all the loopholes to their getting in. And you're in here too, which makes me even more relieved, because you were in such danger in the Common Room where they could have gotten at you at any moment. And, also, just being cooped up in here for one day made me extraordinarily lonely. And, I missed you," he paused again, taking a deep breath, "On the other hand, we're essentially trapped, because even though the Hog's Head is safe, Hogsmeade is terribly unsafe, and we'd never be able to get out without being spotted. And, eventually, we're going to want to go on the run, because it's never safe to stay in one place for too long when you are trying to run away," he sighed, "I have no idea what to do next."

I squeezed his hand, nervously, "We'll figure it out. We have plenty of time to do it in."

"There is that," he nodded, "And at least we're together."

I breathed in sharply but smiled in assent, "Yeah. I was not in a good place this past day."

"It's only been a _day_?" Neville gasped, "Wow. It's felt like much longer."

"Same here," I chuckled, "But the sun definitely only set and rose once."

Neville frowned, "Ah well. It's over. What happened to you? I was pretty boring, being lonely and alone up in my little cave."

I giggled, again, in that out-of-character way that made him puzzled. I tried to stifle it, but I was suddenly feeling that extreme giddiness that had overcome him before, and I was laughing with tears of relief in my eyes as he stared at me in amazement.

"I'm sorry, I just finally understand why you were happy before," I laughed, "Oh thank God." He watched me, continuing to be amazed, as I laughed and pressed my forehead to his shoulder (breaking past whatever nervousness I had) and continued to laugh with tears pouring down my face. I was happy, so happy, and so relieved to have escaped the Carrows once again and yet at the same time, terrified- terrified for we had no real future ahead of us and everything was getting scarier looking by the minute.

When my burst of emotion had ended, I straightened up and began to walk to the bathroom. Neville watched me questioningly.

"He touched me," I murmured, "I have to shower."

"He _touched you?_" Neville cried, "God dammit! What the f*** did he do to you? I am going to actually _murder him_ this time, properly!"

"He just forced me against a wall and cut me here," I pointed to the now dried cut along my face, "Professor ...McGonagall stunned him and told me how to get here."

Neville watched me desperately, "That's it. We aren't separating ever again."

I looked at him, confused.

"I vowed that I wouldn't let him touch you ever again, and I failed! I am never leaving you," he took a deep breath, "We will run away _together_ and hide away _together_, come hell or high water."

I looked at him in amazement, and it took all of my strength to not run forward and kiss him. Instead, I went to him and hugged him, but differently than I usually hugged him- I gently cradled his head as it came towards my shoulder for the hug and I rested my cheek gingerly against the side of his neck, placing my hand lightly on his side instead of just throwing my arms around him like I usually did. Furthermore, I took my time in leaving the hug, making sure to look into his eyes as I pulled back.

He blinked, squeezed my hand, and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply as we stayed like that for a few moments, trying my hardest to remain calm. He pulled away slowly and nodded, letting me go to take my shower.

I took a rather cold one to try and calm myself down, breathing in deeply to steady my frantically beating heart.

I walked out to find Neville reading a book on the sofa, one that the lovely room had materialized for him no doubt. I was wearing pajamas that had come into existence in much the same way, so I went to sit next to him and rested against his side. I briefly wondered angrily why they had to call them loveseats.

"How did they find you?" he asked softly after a while, not looking up from his book.

"They got permission from Voldy himself," because Snape never would have, "To go into the Gryffindor Common room to find you, so Alecto cornered me and Seamus stunned her. I ran around for a while, Amycus cornered me, McGonagall rescued me and told me how to get here, I ran, Alecto nearly got me but I stumbled in here," I swallowed, "Ta da!"

He smiled and rolled his eyes, "Well, at least you are safe now. No more Amycus violating you and no more Alecto putting the Cruciatus curse on you, until hopeful further notice."

I looked over at him, frowning.

"Why are you so afraid of the Cruciatus curse?" I asked softly.

He watched my face for a very long time, "I don't fear having it put on me, no."

"Others, then," I insisted, begging in my head to know.

He continued to watch me in that calculating way for a while, his face so incredibly torn I wanted to take back the question.

Finally, he murmured, "I fear having it cast on people I care about for something I have never told anyone about."

"Oh," I whispered, "OK, I understand."

He shook his head, "No, just... Just listen. Some people do know, but they found out by accident and that was just… just humiliating for me even though it shouldn't have been."

I looked at him, feeling deep concern well up inside me and I wanted to just make it all better for him.

"I… when I was very, very little," Neville paused, taking a deep breath that once again ignited those protective feelings inside of me, "My parents were Aurors, fighting against Voldy during his first time of terror. When Harry brought Voldy down, Bellatrix Lestrange, among some other Death Eaters, thought that my parents would know where Voldy was or at least how to find him. In order to get them to talk, Bellatrix and her gang put my parents each under the Cruciatus curse for multiple hours, until they went so insane that, to most of the Wizarding world, they are dead," Neville breathed deeply as I fought all my urges to just kiss each of the tears forming in his eyes away, "In reality, they are permanent residents of the mental ward at St. Mungo's. I visit them every Christmas with Gran."

I was silent for a very long time as I stared at him in sadness. Poor, poor Neville, who never really had parents and never could tell his friends about them, who had to deal with so much pain from such an early age that no one recognized, like Harry's pain, simply because he had been ordinary after the blows were dealt… I felt tears come to my eyes as I came to the private conclusion that he had suffered worse than Harry, because even though Harry's parents were dead, at least they weren't in the unattainable state of being there, but _not_ being there.

"Oh Nev," I whispered finally, reaching out to gently touch his face. He sighed, closing his eyes. I pulled him into a hug and stayed there for a very long time, crying softly for him.

"I just don't want that to happen to you," he murmured after a long while.

I nodded in understanding, looking up into his eyes and trying to convey through my own that I understood completely. He finally leaned into the perma-hug and rested on me, crying as I soothed him and rubbed his back softly.

I wanted to say it, so bad- _I love you_- but I couldn't do it, I couldn't gather up the courage. I wasn't a Gryffindor. I was some sort of quasi-Gryffindor-Ravenclaw hybrid thing that didn't know what to do when it came to boys because she had gone to an all-girl's school _but if this wasn't love then what the hell could it be?_

Eventually, both of our tears quieted, and I actually felt myself falling asleep there, so close to him as I was. He looked up and wiped off his eyes and laughed weakly.

"It takes a real man to cry," I murmured softly. He chuckled again and got up, smoothing out his shirt and jeans.

"Imma sleep," I continued, mumbling and rubbing my eyes.

He frowned, "Wait a mo'," and ran into the bathroom. I smiled and shrugged, waiting patiently whilst yawning quietly.

He came out in flannel pants and a different shirt, nodding at me and taking my hand. Suddenly, I realized that one of the hammocks had disappeared and the other had gotten rather large. I blushed, realizing I didn't give much of a crap anymore if I was being too obvious, and clambered onto the hammock. He did the same, facing me and not saying much, but reaching out to hold my hand softly.

"I want to show you America," I whispered quietly. He nodded eagerly and grinned in enthusiasm.

"It would be nice to see a place not torn by war," he paused, "Someplace fresh and new."

I smiled and nodded in agreement, "The Rockies are my favorite. Thallus and I love to fly and soar above them; it's like there's no limit to how far we can go, whether it be in height, distance or just life in general. We are limitless and it's excellent."

Neville grinned again, "It's actually a sight I'd like to see, you and Thailus flying together."

"As the world should be," I said, "And you should see all the magical plants that are up there!"

Neville's eyes lit up with extreme excitement, "Really?"

I nodded, "Really. All sorts of herbs and vines and things that just act like no other plants."

Neville continued beaming, "That settles it. That's where we're running away to."

I laughed, "Are you sure you can abandon the cause? For safety and plants and flying?"

Neville frowned, "Stop ruining the dream."

I giggled and squeezed his hand, "Someday."

He sighed in resignation and nodded, "When all this shit is over."

"Feels like it never will be," I sighed, "It's been a helluva year."

"Imagine what it's been like to live through it for multiple years!" Neville affirmed, "Though this year is the worst by a land slide."

"it could have been worse. I could have not been here," I joked.

Neville frowned at me, "You say that like it's not true."

I didn't control my blush in time. Luckily, it was dark.

"Seriously, Maggie, I have never been as close to anyone as I've become with you in only eight months," he paused, "you literally know everything about me. Almost."

"What am I missing?" I asked, my heart beating fast.

"I'll tell you some day," he whispered, "I promise."

I nodded and murmured, "You know almost everything about me too... I trust you more than anyone, Thailus being the exception, but he doesn't count because he's basically myself and you have to trust yourself."

Neville grinned, "Yeah."

I yawned and curled up closer to him, swiftly falling asleep amidst his intoxicating boy smell and warm arms. Everything felt exceptionally right.

And when I woke up, I was thoroughly amused and amazed at the fact we were spooning, him curled around behind me with his arms still wrapped around me. His head was tucked in my neck and my hands were holding his softly against my stomach.

The whole situation was getting rather ridiculous- I was almost positive he felt the same way for me as I did for him, and yet at the same time my fear of rejection was blocking me from making a move.

I sighed softly and closed my eyes, much too groggy to do much more thinking than that, and tried to fall asleep again when I felt him stir beside me. I sat up, terrified of his reaction, and slowly got down off of the hammock.

He yawned and sat up slowly, a small frown on his face that disappeared as he rubbed his eyes in an almost childlike fashion.

"I'll go get food!" I offered. Neville looked at me with an amused expression on his face.

"Good morning to you too," he laughed.

"Sorry I'm just... Jumpy! What would you like?" I asked.

"Just get enough for the day, we can't go in and out too much," he explained. I nodded and went through the portal, climbing through the small passage way (crawling at some points) and out into the inn. A man with a rather crazy look about him was waiting there, with white hair and beard. He looked surprised to see me.

"Who are you then?" he asked in amazement.

"Maggie!" I was still jumpy as I held out my hand for him to shake, "You must be Aberforth Dumbledore."

"Yes. The Neville boy mentioned you yesterday, not to mention you are rather famous around the country for being the most stubborn human being ever," I laughed in response but he wasn't laughing.

He grabbed a plate and waved a very old looking wand and a large pile of food appeared on it, "That should last the two of you the day. See you tomorrow."

I nodded with a smile and walked back up to the room with the plate, gingerly caring the fragile food. The passage was so long that, thanks to the fact I had journeyed it twice, by the time I reached the room and put down the plate, Neville had finished his shower.

"Thanks Mags," he smiled, "Was he nice?"

"No," I laughed.

"Oh good, nothing is dreadfully wrong then," Neville chuckled. We ate together in eternal goofiness, flicking bits of waffle at each other. I was just filled with so much emotion towards the kid I felt like a flipping bunny or something, when I most definitely was not the bubbly butterfly type.

I sat down on the loveseat, running away in some sort of weird playful fashion, and curled up there as he slowly came to sit next to me.

"So tell me," he paused, "You said that when you bind with a dragon, you take on some dragon characteristics and your dragon takes on some human characteristics."

"Mhm," I nodded, "And?"

"Well, I suppose the real question is, can you legitimately breathe fire?" Neville asked. I laughed hysterically in response, amazed at the bluntness of the idea.

"Yes," I answered, chortling still.

"Cool!" Neville gasped. I laughed again.

"Don't ask me to do it, though," I paused, "It hurts and I can't control it as easily as Thailus can. It just sort of goes everywhere and it's a real mess."

Neville laughed and patted my shoulder, "Oh Maggie, what _will_ we do with you?" I rolled my eyes in response.

"What other dragon things do you have? And what human things does Thailus have?" Neville continued, not as morbidly eager but still curious.

"Well, Thailus actually has natural human emotions- what I mean is, all dragons can do things like fall in love and be happy or sad. But his range is so much wider; he can be giddy, depressed, bored, sarcastic, giving, moody- anything you can think of. And he can read my mind and I can read his, of course. And his lifespan is shorter simply because we _have _to live the same amount of time, so my lifespan is longer and his is shorter. And he also is incredibly better at understanding the emotions of others around him- dragons are not normally very perceptive."

"And what about you?" Neville asked cheerfully.

"Well," I swallowed, thinking of one trait that was rather awkward to talk about, "I am a bit more resilient than the average human when it comes to cuts and bruises, and I'm also light on my feet. I also get into this weird dragon mode when I'm fighting alongside him, like I am more fierce and furious and bloodthirsty, but without him in battle I get sort of lost. And I also have to act like a dragon when it comes to... Ah..." I blushed like a twelve year old, "Mating."

"Wait _what?_" Neville laughed, but his face was also coloring rapidly.

"I mean... In order to give their children the best chance for survival," I paused, "Dragons only fall in love once. Once they mate, and both are in love so it's not rape or anything like that, they are bonded for rest of their lives. It's like marriage, except it's a load more binding," I explained, trying to sound aloof and academic.

"How so?" Neville asked in amazement.

"Well, like with dragon partners, the mate will not last long if their mate dies," I paused, "And long term, like multiple year long, separation leads to depression and even longer, like near decade long separation, leads to catatonia," I paused, "And they just emotionally cannot fall in love with someone else, not even if humans in a similar relationship would have broken up very messily. The idea is just unfathomable; their mate is it."

"So that's how you'd be if...?" Neville asked. I nodded.

"But what if your partner isn't a dragon rider?" he continued.

"That's the fun part," I paused, "The moment I have sex with whomever it ends up being, they immediately take on this characteristic as if they were a dragon rider. It's like the ultimate STD."

Neville laughed loudly in complete shock at what I'd said, "What if you hadn't told them?"

I shrugged, "What they don't know can't hurt them. They just will always love me. Though, it's very common knowledge in the States, the moment that he finds out I'm a dragon rider he'd know what he'd be in for. Though, over _here_..."

"Rather a dirty trick that," Neville chuckled, though his eyes were filled with mirth to counteract what he said.

"Call it insurance," I shrugged. Neville laughed again and we fell silent, though not nearly as awkwardly as it could have been.

"It would be cool to be a rider," Neville remarked after a while.

"It comes with a lot of responsibility and anxiety," I paused, "I'm missing half of myself right now."

He frowned, "I'm sorry," and reached out to gently squeeze my hand.

"It's OK," I murmured, "I miss home."

He watched me, silently asking me to continue.

I watched him desperately, suddenly feeling the most pent-up emotion inside of me well up. Tears began to flood my eyes.

"I miss Thailus, I miss flying on his back and feeling like the universe could not contain us because we were bigger than it, not like I am so small and insignificant that I could get raped and tortured by two bigoted idiots just because it's a Tuesday," I sniffled, "I miss my dad, and arguing with him over the stupidest things but being able to talk to him about anything at the end of the day. I miss my sister, and how we would giggle like actual teenage girls and listen to muggle pop music just to dance around to it and then go out to the park to be one with nature like the hippies we are. I miss my mommy," I whispered hoarsely, and suddenly the tears began pouring down my face.

"Oh sweetie," Neville whispered as this latest development occurred, pulling me closer to him, into the comfort of his arms.

"I miss the way we'd talk about everything and anything over a cup of coffee in the morning. I miss her hug goodnight and I miss how easily she could just tell what was wrong with me. I miss how she laughed and how she would decorate the house every Christmas. I miss how she treated Thailus like the son she never had and would encourage me every day. I miss her, Nev," I sobbed.

"I know," he murmured, not interjecting a single word of anger at the Dark Side- just holding me close to him.

"I miss walking through the streets of Boston and seeing all the trees change color in fall. I miss the salty smell of the sea and the yells of the fishermen at the dock. I miss obnoxious muggle teens on the street dressing obnoxiously and shouting and listening to music really loudly. I miss waking through the woods or through a prairie and just feeling so alive and free... I miss it all," I sobbed heavily.

He didn't say anything, just held me close to him and kissed the top of my head.

"Just don't forget your British pals when you go," he insisted softly, resting his head on top of mine.

I pulled back from him in shock, "Point A, how could I possibly forget you all? Point B, I'll come back, I just need to experience home to balance out my psyche."

"You will?" Neville asked breathlessly.

"Of course. You people mean too much to me now," I asserted.

Neville smiled a little and shrugged, "Sorry, I just assumed that with all you've gone through here you'd be out if here like a bat out of hell."

"Hell no!" I laughed, "You're like a second family to me."

He smiled again, "Good."

I looked at him questioningly.

"I must make a confession, Mags," he paused, "I enjoy your company far too much; I'm rather greedy about it, and I cannot bear the thought of you leaving."

I smiled weakly at him, "Samesies."

He grinned back and I hugged him tightly, feeling him kiss the top of my head again. The uncertainty was getting ridiculous and I gathered up every ounce of my courage to pull back from him.

"Nev, I..." I stared at his eyes and got instantly lost in them and the intense look they contained.

He gently brushed back the hair from my face and left his hand on my cheek. I felt my heart beat rapidly as he leaned in closer to me, and I automatically closed my eyes as his lips gently touched my own.

We were both new at this and as such the kiss was fumbling and awkward at first. Once I had regained myself and stopped marveling at the softness of his lips, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling us closer together and making the kiss more sure and strong. I felt breathless and dizzy when he finally pulled away.

I looked at him in amazement briefly, before leaning in and kissing him again, eagerly and joyfully. He pulled me closer to him this time so I was basically in his lap, but I didn't care. I was kissing Neville and it felt better than I had even dared to imagine.

This time I pulled back slowly, my heart still going at breakneck speeds as we stared at each other in amazement.

"Maggie," he murmured breathlessly. I swallowed and averted my eyes, still terrified of rejection though, logically, I reminded myself that he started it.

He leaned towards me and whispered delicately in my ear, "I love you."

Everything inside of me swelled up and burst with joy. I almost felt like I was going to cry.

I looked at him straight in the eye and murmured, "I love you, too."

He looked exceptionally joyful and pressed his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and smiled, wrapping my arms around his shoulders to hold him tightly.

"I suppose everyone knew but us?" I finally asked, laughing breathlessly as he gently wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Well, we've basically been acting like a couple since the incident, let's be honest with ourselves," Neville chuckled. I grinned and leaned in to kiss him playfully, but he pulled me closer to him and kissed me back so fiercely my head was spinning madly.

"When did you realize it?" I asked breathlessly, everything around me spinning except for him.

"Remember when I met Thailus?" he paused, "That's when I started having feelings for you. But... But when I... When they were torturing you, your screams could be heard from the great hall, where I was getting chewed out by McGonagall for getting us into that situation and... Maggie," he sobbed, "I couldn't do anything to help you and each of your screams pierced me like a knife through my heart and I would have died to make you safe again. I knew I love you."

I felt tears come to my eyes and I gently stroked his face, "Oh Nev."

"When did you?" he asked, gently wiping away the tears from my face with his fingertips.

"I must confess I was rather oblivious for a while longer than you," I paused, "I realized I had feeling for you over Christmas, when we were playing Chess. And I realized I love you when you came in with Seamus after the Carrows tortured you, though I must admit I was realizing it when you defended me from Malfoy."

He nodded and gently kissed me again before whispering, "I understand. I'm rather unloveable."

"Don't be stupid," I rolled my eyes, "You are brave, intelligent, loyal, kind and good. You also, side note, have a gorgeous accent, beautiful brown eyes, and are handsome in a non-conventional way. But you are."

He blushed furiously, "Come on, Mags. I'm rounder than most and I have crooked teeth. And I'm clumsy and hesitant and fearful and shy."

"To the first point, everyone in Britain has bad teeth, and you're cuddly," I smiled wide and hugged his middle fondly, "To the second, everyone has faults, and for the most part, you overcome yours, and I love them anyway."

He leaned in and kissed me again and things were starting to feel a little more heated.

"Well, _you_ are beautiful, fierce, passionate, moral, smart, and lively," he insisted, "You're a whirlwind of awesomeness."

I blushed, "I'm curvy and stubborn and reckless and standoff ish."

"You're a woman and not a twig," he countered, and I kissed him just for that. He broke away and kept talking breathlessly, "And if you were perfect it would be an imperfection. And you're beautiful when you're standing up for what you believe in and sexy when you do it no matter what."

I kissed him furiously, and a gentle moan escaped his lips as we laid back into the loveseat. Our kisses grew more and more passionate by the second as I sealed my arms around him and clutched desperately at his back. His hands ran down my sides and gently caressed my waist, making my blood boil uncontrollably. I hesitantly slipped my tongue between his lips and he moaned, pressing up closer to me and thus pushing us further into the cushions. I instinctually raised my legs up around his hips and in the air, feeling rather lightheaded and tingly from my stomach down.

I moaned quietly as his lips left mine and began to trail delicately down my neck and to the dip between my neck and shoulder, making me gasp in surprise at the both tickling and pleasing sensation. I clutched at the hairs at the back of his neck and he moaned, continuing to trace his lips along my shoulder and run his hands now along the sides of my hips.

He then returned his lips to mine briefly and I heard my stomach growl loudly. I tried to ignore it, simply too wrapped up in him to pay concern to anything else, but he broke away from me and smiled.

"Food time I suppose?" he asked cheerfully.

"Later," I groaned, pulling him back to me and kissing him heavily. He moaned into my mouth but pulled away once again as my stomach continued to growl.

"No, now," and before I could distract him with another kiss he had put his arms underneath me and lifted me up over his shoulder. I shrieked in protest and hit his back, begging for him to let me down. He merely laughed and shook his head, effectively distracting me by supporting me by placing one of his hands on my butt. He set me down in one of the chairs and pushed the food towards me with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Eat," he ordered.

"You're not my master," I stuck out my tongue at him. He shook his head and sat down to eat as well.

"Look, it's rude to not dine together, or something," he insisted. I finally gave in, not too annoyed with the whole situation as his foot continuously rubbed my leg under the table. And when I finished eating, I jumped up and ran around to pull him up by his shirt collar and kissed him heavily on the mouth. He groaned and pulled me closer to him, and somehow we found our way to the loveseat again, tongues dancing and my legs wrapped fully around his waist as I sat in his lap on the chair.

He broke away from my mouth to start kissing every inch of the scars that ran across my face, and I was hit with an idea that just wouldn't leave my head no matter how distracted I got by the presence of his lips. When he placed his lips back on mine, I gently removed his shirt from his torso and he watched me nervously and excitedly at the same time. I gently caressed his face, running my fingertips along it, before planting my lips on the top corner of his scar. He sighed softly as I continued to kiss down along it, making sure to not neglect any inch, until I reached the end and tried to ignore how the position of my face relative to his body made my heart pound loudly in my ears.

I looked up and stared into his brown eyes, my own trying to convey to him exactly what his sacrifice meant to me and always had meant to me. He gently cupped my face in his hands and kissed me softly, and I felt the decision that I had slowly been making the entire make-out session come to fruition. He was it. It would only ever be him. It only ever_ could_ be him and I didn't want it to be anyone else.

The Room knew me so well. The loveseat transformed into a bed and the light in the fireplace dimmed. Neville broke away from me and looked at me apologetically.

"S-Sorry… teenage boy hormones," he tried to explain. I looked at him in shock.

"Wait, I thought that was me," I laughed. He watched my face for a moment and laughed himself, pressing his forehead against mine and closing his eyes.

"You know what it would mean," I murmured softly. He kissed my lips once in response and I continued to feel extraordinarily light headed.

"You say that, when dragon partners and their lovers first make love, they cannot imagine being with anyone else," Neville paused. I nodded, terrified of whatever he would say next.

"What if I already feel that way? What if I already felt, every time you got injured, as if I was being cut deeper? What if I feel as if I _will_ die without you in this world with me? What if I dread whatever battle that may occur to end this whole thing, because you could be lost forever and I would never see your beautiful eyes, your smiling face, or hear your gorgeous laugh? What if I feel like I've already made my choice, without some sort of magical bonding process?" Neville whispered.

I felt tears form in my eyes out of joy, "Then there's nothing that would change."

He kissed me softly again and I ran my fingers through his hair. "I feel the same, you know," I whispered.

Neville watched my face in joy and asked, "Really?"

"No question," I affirmed, "There's never been any question. It's you. I don't care that I'm only eighteen, that this is war and that leads people to make rash decisions… there isn't any other decision. It's you."

I kissed him, and we slowly sunk into the mattress, and the rest passed in flashes of heat, passion, and love. I'll spare details, though… Neville can be a very surprising boy.

I found myself curled up in his embrace, my heart slowly calming down, as I gently stroked the outline of his face. He was sleepy, his eyes closed. Clearly, he was still awake, as he was gently squeezing my hand that was interlocked with his.

"I love you," I whispered, joyfully in being able to say it freely at last.

He, still with eyes closed, leaned over to kiss my forehead and murmured, "I love you too." I fell asleep curled in his embrace, warm, safe and loved- at least, for now. At least, for now, there was peace in my heart and mind.

AN: Hahaha so I was debating whether or not to start this chapter rather soon after posting the last one, and I was listening to Pandora and the theme song for the chapter definitely started playing randomly. I took that as a sign.

Now it's a day later, and the chapter is amazingly long. So much for worrying about the length after I cut out the graphic scenes… and I'm not even done yet… (play-by-play of the writing process)Um, dreamerdrawerwriter7, your review to the last chapter is exactly what I was hoping someone to say. Bravo. Neville needs more cheers for cutting off Amycus' balls. This is me giving you an electronic hug.

Also, it says that as long as someone is in the Room, it will remain the hideout. But Neville also told the Gang that he was hungry and the passage appeared and he went into the Hog's Head. So, there was that brief period of time when no one was in the room… I am just going to assume it doesn't matter. More fun Room of Requirement stuff in the next chapter; this one was getting WAY too long to add in that. Keep in mind that I wrote it first, a long time ago; its changed about five times; and the version I was originally going to post when this was rated M had a whole other day of funness (ahem, take liberty with that) and very few things have stayed exactly the same between versions. Actually, I think only three lines: "I miss home," "The kiss was fumbling and awkward," and "Sorry; teenage boy hormones." Yay.

I eat reviews for breakfast, lunch and dinner… though, I've been getting more, so I'm no longer starving. I love you guys :)


	12. Ch 11: Others

Ch. 11 Others

_All my life I've been searching for something _

_Something I can put my finger on _

_Maybe I've been living for the weekend _

_Maybe I've been living for this cyber soul _

_Every Friday just about midnight _

_All my problems seem to disappear _

_Everyone that I miss when I'm distant _

_Everybody's here_

_~ Friends by Band of Skulls_

I found myself the next afternoon lounging on the newly reappeared loveseat, my legs dangling over the back and my head upside-down, balancing away from the front. My hair spread out below me on the floor as the wireless next to my face on the coffee table escaped static and a calm British voice resounded.

"And, to finish our program today..." the voice of River, who I was told was actually Lee Jordan, continued.

"Oh, please, River, I insist I say this bit," a very familiar voice insisted- Ginny- that made me grin uncontrollably.

"Rousettus..." River groaned.

"I knew him better and you don't know her at all!" Ginny ("Rousettus") insisted, "To conclude our program today, word has recently reached our ears that Neville Longbottom and Maggie Johnson, leaders of the underground resistance at Hogwarts, have gone into hiding. No one is quite sure where they are, but our thoughts here at Potterwatch are definitely with you. Side note: Hogwarts is probably loads more quiet now that you're gone."

"Hopefully not _too_ quiet, the resistance must continue!" Rapier/Rodent, aka Fred, argued, "We are counting on Seamus and all the rest who are left to keep fighting."

"And that is why the password for our next show is _American_, to honor our favorite foreign rebel. We are not sure when we will broadcast again, but you can be sure we will! Long live Potter, wherever he may be."

Static resumed on the radio as Nev came out of the bathroom, drying his hair off with a towel.

"We're famous," I laughed, pointing to the radio. He grinned and sat next to me on the floor, resting his head on my upside-down shoulder.

"The funny bit is we actually haven't gone anywhere, really," he chuckled.

I nodded and rested my cheek gingerly against the top of his head, feeling his soft hair tickle me gently. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent deeply.

"Are you sure you're comfortable like that?" he asked quietly. I flipped so I was now lying on my stomach, but still stretched out as before, and placed my chin on his shoulder.

"Do you think there's another way I could be sitting?" I laughed.

"I have a few ideas," he grinned, before reaching up to wrap his arms around me and pull me down so I was lying flat across his lap. I giggled, looking up at him as I settled my head in his lap and he began stroking my messy mop of dark brown hair.

"So, what is the one thing I don't know about you?" I asked casually as I gently played with the fingers of his other hand.

"What? Oh," Neville chuckled, "You know now."

"What?" I looked at him in confusion.

"I love you," he stated simply. I laughed and squeezed his hand.

"OK, and the one thing you didn't know about me was that I love you, too," I giggled.

"Merlin, we were thick," Neville groaned in amazement and I continued to chortle. I then sat up and gently kissed his lips, and he placed his hands on the sides of my head to bring me closer. I sighed happily and pressed myself against him, running my fingers gingerly through his hair. He moaned quietly into my mouth and began unbuttoning the buttons of my blouse, much to my excitement.

A door slammed, rather loudly in our ears, and we turned in shock to see Seamus watching us open-mouthed.

"Bloody… Hell… Maggie, get some_ clothes_ on," Seamus finally managed to stammer out. I swallowed and buttoned up my shirt, trying to laugh but finding the skill essentially nonexistent in my mind. Neville's face had paled desperately and we both stood up really, really fast.

"You two disappear for three, two days and this is what I find!" Seamus shouted, "Two days! That's all it took! We should have locked you in a room together _ages_ ago and there wouldn't have been _months_ of 'oh, she could never love me,' or 'I highly doubt he feels the same way,' and 'If only I could be with Maggie, there would be something good in life' or 'He gives me a reason to keep fighting, even though he doesn't know.' And all I needed to do all along was lock you in a room alone together for _two bleeding days!_"

We both watched him in amazement as he fumed.

"You don't realize how _frustrating_ these past months have been for me! Ever since December, Neville's been all, 'I've never had much luck with girls, Seamus, but she just makes me so happy I don't know what to do… don't you _dare_ tell her,' and then when I say, oh, I think I like her too, she is pretty awesome it's all, 'Seamus, how many times have I been on a date? Right, none. How many times have you? Right, a bunch. Could you let me gather my courage, please?' with the death glare so I fear for my _life_ when I make an unsuccessful move but it doesn't matter because Maggie's 'just realized her feelings' but '_you can't ever tell him!_' and he's all 'Don't tell her, she's my best friend, I can't lose my best friend!' and then 'I'm never going to let her be hurt again… Seamus, I think I love her… Oh God…' and then not a month later, 'Seamus… I don't know but… I think… I think I love him…' and then a full month of 'Oh, if only he knew, but he can't know' and 'Don't tell her! Please!' and melodramatic sighs and _all I had to do was lock you two in a room together for two days to get you to **shut up**_?" Seamus roared.

"I'm…" I started.

"Sorry?" Neville finished, looking at me in amusement. We both giggled behind our hands as Seamus tried to calm down.

"So, how are you here?" I asked cheerfully, "What happened to drive you into hiding?"

Seamus glared at me furiously for a moment before muttering, "Well, Alecto was talking about the Irish Wizards…"

"Oh snap," Neville whispered.

"Yeah," Seamus sighed, "Not a good move. Basically doing what English muggles have been doing for ages, insulting us, talking about how we're inferior. And, well, I wasn't in a good place anyway what with you two being gone… and apparently shagging everywhere…"

"Not _everywhere_…" I paused.

"So you _did_ shag?" Seamus sighed, "I don't believe this… Just, warn me about what bits of furniture I shouldn't be sitting on…"

"Um…" Neville was about to explain but Seamus held up his hand.

"Not _now_, let me finish my story! Any who, so I by some stroke of luck had one of Fred and George's fireworks on me, so I let one go in the classroom and visibly set it off so she would see it was me, you know, the Irish kid in the room, and aimed it right at her face. It was fun, though, to see her hair on fire and her face all filled with soot and a giant pinwheel zooming around her head, but I had to run, and I'm thinking and I decided that I should probably go to the RoR to collect my thoughts and I find _you two_ about to _shag_ on the bleeding _carpet_…"

"Not like we knew you were coming in!" Neville defended.

"Two days!" Seamus screamed again.

"Calm down, Seamus, we get it- we've already gone over a million times how stupid we've been," I soothed softly. He fumed for another moment before nodding in resignation.

"Just… tell me where not to sit…" he sighed, "I'm getting over it. I already have gotten over _you_, Maggie, no offense or nothing."

"None taken," I laughed.

"Don't sit on the loveseat, our hammock, or the dining table," Neville finally interjected, his face beat red. Seamus groaned loudly and threw his hands in the air.

"WHERE THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO EAT?" Seamus cried, "I don't wanna eat _there_ now, do I? Butt-cheek germs, I just… ugh! I WISH FOR A NEW TABLE!"

The old one disappeared and a new one with visibly different wood coloring, not to mention, it was bigger, along with another chair. Also, a new small hammock appeared on the opposite wall of ours, and an armchair appeared next to the loveseat. Seamus breathed in relief.

"OK. Now, I'm OK," and we all laughed together and Neville and I ran up to hug him. Well, I hugged him properly; Neville did that weird 'man-hug' thing that shouldn't count. We spent the rest of the day playing Exploding Snap, and laughing at being safe together in the Common Room and listening to music on the wireless.

The next day, Seamus went out to get food from Ab, and I was finally finishing my book (the Room was so good to me and materialized it on the table) as Neville took his shower. I looked up from the last page to see him exiting the bathroom, looking rather different than he normally did. He had yet to organize his hair so it was sticking up all over the place and not neatly combed across his forehead. Furthermore, he had forgotten to shave for two days in a row, and as such his face was filled with an amazing amount of stubble.

My _God_ he was sexy.

I couldn't help myself. I got up, and he was still walking towards me and looking at the floor as he dried his hair with a towel. I ran forward and he looked up at the sound of me running to see, just in time, me leaping in the air to wrap my legs around his waist and place one of my hands in his hair and the other on the side of his face and kiss him as passionately as I could, which was very passionately, thanks.

He groaned in amazement and wrapped his arms around my waist and placed his hands under my butt to keep me supported. At the moment of impact, so to speak, Seamus came back into the Room, but I was quickly becoming ignorant of his presence.

"I come with food! Oh Bloody Hell… Guys… Guys I'm _back_… Guys…" as he shouted in protest, we had quickly fallen to the floor and were eagerly continuing to make out. I didn't waste any time in ripping off his shirt.

"GUYS! Can you at least get another room or something? I don't want to… Oh there goes her shirt now," he groaned as Neville threw the offending garment in the air, "OK, I'll just be in the bathroom, shall I? No reply, alright, just, call me when you're done… KEEP IT DOWN!" and he slammed the bathroom door shut behind him, though I was extremely busy at the moment and must confess I didn't pay much attention to his words.

We didn't have _too_ many incidents like that, honestly! Just the one then… and another... maybe a few…

In the evening, we found ourselves (all _three_ of us, thanks!) lounging on the loveseat and armchair, listening to Potterwatch once again, eating junk food and laughing.

"Today, Royal is going to give us his play-by-play account of how to play piano… Just kidding. Honestly, we have no idea what to talk about today; there is very little news other than now Seamus Finnegan going into hiding. Wouldn't it be funny if he, Neville and Maggie were all hiding out together?" Ginny laughed.

Fred coughed something that specifically sounded like "threesome" and we could also hear a resounding slap over the wireless. Seamus' face colored, Neville spit out some food, and I began laughing hysterically.

"Anyway, good luck to him. We also can report, from anonymous sources, that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are somewhere safe. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you where they are or who they're with… _we_ don't even know, our informant was so secretive. At least, they're safe," Ginny paused, and I could just tell the relief that must have been on her face.

"Look, I can't risk anyone hearing…" 'Romulus" (Lupin, I was told) explained.

"OUR INFORMANT IS _NOT_ ROMULUS," Lee shouted loudly over the small argument going on in the background. Now Neville and Seamus were laughing with me.

"And, to cap off our report tonight, we have received reports of giants gathering in the North. All living around the Liverpool area, we advise to be on the lookout, and perhaps to cast some extra-effective charms on your houses and the houses of your muggle neighbors," Royal, aka Kingsley, advised.

"Yay," I sighed in annoyance. Neville and Seamus both nodded grimly next to me.

"Our password for next time is Irish, in honor of Seamus… which is especially appropriate, as reports are coming in that the reason for his going into hiding was in defense of his homeland… Go Celts!" Lee cheered. Seamus grinned and Neville high-fived him, causing me to eye-roll. _Boys_.

"We _will_ be back! Maybe with actual news and not rumors and… ahem… _anonymous_ tip-offs," Ginny snapped.

"Rousettus…" Lupin sighed.

"GOODBYE!" Lee shouted, and static aired over the wireless. We all laughed and I turned it off.

The next day, our number was added to again as Lavender Brown, Parvati and Padma Patil joined our ranks.

"YES!" I shouted, running up to them and hugging them, "MORE ESTROGEN!"

Seamus' face instantly colored at the sight of them, causing Neville to look at him in puzzlement.

"The Carrows are now torturing all students from the DA left, and when we saw what happened to Michael Corner…" Parvati explained as they came in and sat in the newly appeared, full-sized couch.

"What happened to Michael Corner?" Neville demanded, his protective streak for all DA members kicking in.

"Well, he was very cryptic," Padma paused, "But from what one can see, he now has the shape of a dark mark etched into his neck by a knife."

"Jesus," Neville whispered.

"And they had called us into their office during dinner, so I just looked at them from across the hall and we all got up and ran," Padma continued.

"And we really couldn't think of anywhere to go, but I remembered from last year when I was… erm… with Ron…" Lavender paused awkwardly, "That this room was an excellent hide-out."

"Don't tell me…" Seamus groaned, putting his hands in front of his eyes.

Lavender looked at him in puzzlement.

"Um… Neville and I got together," I explained, "And Seamus found us in a position he'd rather not have… it's been tough for him these past three days…"

Lavender, Parvati and Padma all started giggling in unison as Neville wrapped his arm protectively around my shoulder. When they went to talk to Ab, Neville pounced (figuratively speaking) on Seamus.

"I sort of… fancy Lav, OK?" Seamus hissed, "Leave me alone."

Neville burst out laughing and I could tell it was partially out of relief, though I had reminded him countless times that he had nothing to worry about.

The next day, our numbers were added to again, as Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein and Terry Boot came in. Unfortunately they, like Seamus, caught me and Neville alone; the situation was getting quite ridiculous and I was actually getting embarrassed.

As they laughed with Seamus over the general unpleasantness of such a situation, and the girls giggled together while listening to the conversation, I went through the passageway wishing there was somewhere Neville and I could go to be alone. I didn't fancy bring caught in my knickers again and...

Wow. I was becoming British.

Anyway, as I went through the passageway, I saw a small door, big enough to walk through if you crouched. I did so, and I found it filled with another fireplace, and a rather large and comfy looking bead. I swallowed, realizing instantly who this room was for, and ran back out to the main room. The group was all talking together, and I managed to grab Neville's hand without causing much attention.

"What is it? Did Ab want to talk to me?" Neville asked as we went through the passageway.

"No," I answered simply before climbing through the tiny door. Neville followed, and gasped when he saw it.

"My respect for the Room of Requirement has grown exponentially," Neville laughed as I turned to face him with a grin on my face.

"Now you don't have to worry about any of your mates seeing your bird's knickers," I suggested.

He pulled me close to him with a smirk, "Love, you _cannot_ pull off British slang with that accent."

"I tried," I sighed in defeat before placing my lips firmly to his, worrying not about getting caught by any person at all.

The next day, the room got even _more_ crowded, as Ernie and Hannah came in, completely surprised by the array of personages. It was amazing how well the room could accommodate all of us, laughing and eating and acting like real teenagers for the first time all year. We spent most of our time talking, listening to the wireless, and playing Exploding Snap, Wizard Chess, or Gobstones. The night after the Hufflepuffs came in, though, Seamus was starting to get Cabin Fever.

"I am going to check out how the castle is without basically the entirety of the resistance movement," he remarked.

"What?" Ernie gasped.

"No!" Lavender cried.

"No, Seamus, it's unsafe," Neville responded firmly.

"Don't be crazy, foo'," I sighed. Nev looked at me like I was crazy.

"First, you criticize me for trying to be British. Then, you criticize me for being American. What do you want from me? An Australian?" I jokingly cried, "G'day, mate!"

Neville rolled his eyes but kissed my cheek, causing all the girls to coo and all the boys to blanch.

"Look, it's nighttime now," Seamus sighed, going back to his original point, "The castle will be mainly empty, and I just want to check it out. Maggie can even put a disillusionment charm on me if she likes."

I stood up and pulled out my wand, tapping it on his head as he disappeared, virtually- the colors behind him now moving on their own. He nodded- we could _sort of_ tell- and exited out of the door that now reappeared. Lavender looked like she was going to vomit the entire time he was gone, leading me to believe the boy was in luck.

Neville was just starting to mutter in my ear about going out there to find him when the door burst open and the blob of moving color came in again. I ran over, tapping my wand on his head, and he grinned uncontrollably.

"Well, to begin," Seamus paused, "The door came out on the fourth floor, I dunno if that just is where it is now cause the Carrows know about the seventh, but that was excellent, because I definitely ran into McGonagall and got to tell her we were all safe, which definitely made her look loads happier. Younger, too, I might add. Anyway, I did explore the castle some more, and I happened to find the Carrows complaining to Madam Pomfrey in private. We will all be happy to know that Amycus' balls, though technically reattached, simply do not 'serve their function' anymore."

"Success," Neville stated simply, and I burst out laughing and hugged him tightly.

The next evening, Parvati decided to go out, and came back reporting that the door had come out on the second floor, where she had managed to (disguised as she was) rescue a gaggle of second years from Crabbe and Goyle, who had cornered them in the hallway.

"We're back in business!" Ernie shouted happily, and Neville went down to Ab and brought a round of butterbeers for everyone. I, being the American I am, felt the celebration cause for one thing, an one thing only: a party.

The lights dimmed and the wireless started playing loud music. The furniture moved to the edges of the room an everyone laughed, starting to dance whether in giant groups of people (the Ravenclaw boys) or actually pairing up. Neville obviously eagerly took me by the waist and pressed his forehead against mine, but I was happy to see out of the corner of my eye Seamus and Lavender hesitantly dancing with one another. Ernie, Hannah, and the Patil twins were all goofing together in a group. I quickly diverted my attention from the other couple, though, as Neville has secretly began to kiss my neck, unnoticed by the other groups of teens as I clutched his shoulders tightly. Butterbeer had also never been kind to me, an I was beginning to feel mildly light-headed. Neville's lips, while always welcome, did not aid the situation, an the entire room swum in front of me.

We didn't even try to mask ourselves by sleeping with the group in the main room; we soon enough found ourselves in our secret room and didn't bother leaving (or, do much sleeping.)

When we both emerged, his hair _very _sticky-uppy, the boys immediately began hooting and the girls giggling.

"You two, honestly, do I have to be your bleedin' mother?" Seamus groaned, eating a piece of toast with a smirk.

"Neville and Maggie," Michael began singing.

"Sittin' in a tree," Terry continued.

"F-U-C..." I cut off Anthony.

"Thaaaaaaats enough," I rolled my eyes, "We are all adults here."

"I contend that I am actually a toddler," Michael argued, but he was grinning anyway. Neville sighed in exasperation as we sat down to eat.

"Honestly, though, where did you go?" Padma asked.

"We did get rather worried," Hannah agreed.

"We have a special room in the corridor to Ab's," Neville explained.

"Lucky," Lavender groaned. Neville and I looked at each other and then slightly over at Seamus, whose face was rather flushed.

"Rather inappropriate, that," but Ernie was grinning as he said it.

"I was wondering where you two had taken that, you had been like rabbits..." Seamus began.

"OH-Kay," Neville interjected, "That's enough of that."

"It really makes you wonder, though," Hannah sighed. We looked at her in puzzlement.

"Yeah," Michael nodded, catching on, "Who would have thought?"

"That the rude, scary new girl that showed up one blustery September day," Parvati continued.

"Would be little Neville's first love?" Seamus cooed condescendingly.

"And only," Neville murmured softly, kissing my head gently. All the girls erupted into 'aww's.

"Don't be _too_ optimistic," Ernie rolled his eyes, "I'm not saying you might not be right, but..."

"It's not optimism," I frowned, looking over at Neville for permission to tell. He nodded.

"You all know about Thailus, right?" I asked. They nodded; the DA was awful at keeping secrets.

I explained the whole love partner deal, miraculously not blushing once.

"That is something all people should have to follow," Padma laughed once I'd finished.

"Bloody hell, Neville," Seamus paused, "Were you mad?"

"No," Neville scoffed, "Plus, she had told me about this even before we told each other how we felt."

"Well," Michael raised his glass, "Here's to the DA's mum and dad!"

Everyone raised their glasses a Neville and I laughed in amazement.

The next day, our resistance movement took a tiny trip down memory lane. The disillusionment harms were all put on us and on our Room-provided spray paint cans. This time, Lavender took Ginny's place, though I have to be honest and say I prefer Ginny. Sneaking out in the middle of the night, I was still deeply reminded of the last time we did this; however, unlike the last time, this time, when I walked alongside Neville out the door, his hand was on the small of my back and his cheek on top of my head.

We came out on the sixth floor, where Malfoy was trying to bring a third year to his detention with the Carrows. I snuck up behind him in the nonexistent light and, grabbing an unlit torch from the wall, hit him upside the head. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap and the third year took off running. We then spray painted on the wall: "We're watching you" and quickly ran back to the Room, safe and rather giddy at our handiwork.

The next, and last, escapade we had was when Padma decided to go out the next night. The door had come up on the first floor and she nearly got caught by Alecto. Luckily, Alecto was busy punishing a fifth year, so did not notice Padma as the moving color blob until it was too late, and a whallop of a stunning spell had hit her in the stomach. It was a very close call, though, so we halted our adventures.

The last night of peace in the Room, all the boys decide to go and have a drink together at Ab's, an seeing as Nev and I had basically only been seeing each other for nearly two weeks, I insisted he went to get some testosterone treatment, even though he left watching me with huge puppy dog eyes. I sat back in the middle of the room with the girls, who were all laughing about the whole situation.

"Seriously, I know you two have some sort of deep magical bond an all that, but you have him whipped beyond anything I've seen before," Lavender giggled.

"And we've sen Harry with Ginny and Ron with Hermione," Paravti nodded.

I shrugged nonchalantly, eating a potato chip (I refuse to call them crisps.)

"So, can we ask you something?" Lavender asked, looking meaningfully at Hannah, who seemed to catch in and started nodding eagerly.

"Anything," I shrugged, pushing the potato chip bag away from me in annoyance from the temptation their presence caused. Bad, bad chips.

"How good of a kisser is he?" Lavender continued. I choked oh the last chip in my throat and quickly polluted water into my mouth using _Auguamenti. _

_"What?"_ I shouted in amazement.

"Look, you know him as this brave, reluctant hero, and trust us, that's what he is- when Harry isn't around. But when Neville doesn't have to be the hero, he is very clumsy, shy, and fearful. He has never had a girlfriend before you and, as such, we are all dying to know how he holds up," Padma sighed, "Especially since it seeks as if you just can't keep your hands off each other."

I swallowed, my face turning beet red, "Um, well, like you can imagine... Uh... At first he was very awkward, I can't lie. At the same time, I have to admit that he is my first boyfriend, so I was rather rubbish at it too. But the more we... Ah... Practiced... The better we got, an though I am no expert, I feel I can confidently say he is an excellent kisser."

They all giggled around me as I tried to stop blushing, but the damned incantation wasn't working.

"And what about..." but Hannah burst into hysterical giggles. I raised my eyebrows in amusement.

"Well, come on, boys are notorious at being awful at shagging and thinking about the girl until they've had loads of practice," Lavender stated matter-of-factly, "We might as well not ask. "

"But there has to be a reason why they do it all the time," Parvati hissed. I began blushing furiously again.

"Um... Well... I mean... Neville isn't being all macho, 'oh-yeah-look-at-me', you know? He's always very much about doing things for others just in general and... Um... Uhhh... This sort of makes him a natural at... Stuffs," I hid my face behind my curtain of hair and begged for a subject change. Everyone continued to giggle around me.

"Really?" Lavender laughed skeptically.

"Come on," I rolled my eyes, "Do I _look_ like I would just do it because I feel obligated towards him?"

"She has a point," Parvati nodded. Hannah continued to giggle uncontrollably. I blushed again and sigh in relief when Padma began talking about some book she had just read. I didn't really feel like continuing that particular conversation. And the boys, upon their return, acted properly loud and raucous, though Neville seemed to be the one trying to control then all. Upon the sight of him, all the rest of the girls began giggling madly. I flushed but grinned widely at him. He looked at us in puzzlement before walking over to me and offering me his hand, holding it gently as we walked back to our now not-so-secret room.

"Can I tell you something?" I asked softly as I dressed into my pajamas and lay down on the bed.

"Anything," he smile and curled up next to me, his cheek resting against my cheek.

"I am glad this war is going on," I whispered hoarsely. He looked at me in puzzlement.

"Why? I'm sure you have a reason," he smiled, "But that statement is just baffling, especially from you."

"Well, there are a lot of things that lead to us being together that were only possible because of the war," I paused, "My mom was sent to the UK to discover the exact government in place; without Voldy's takeover I would be in France. If there was no war to keep me afraid for my safety outside of this castle, I would have only been here for a few months and wouldn't have gotten to know you all as well. If my mom hadn't been killed, I might not have even gone to Hogwarts at all and instead just toured the countryside. If you weren't raising a resistance movement, McGonagall wouldn't have asked me to keep an eye on you all and I would never have gotten to know you. If the Carrows hadn't tried to kill us and torture us so many times, leading me to appreciate you and fall for you, I might never have developed feelings for you. If we hadn't had to hide out, we might never have developed the courage to confess our feelings. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Neville's eyes were wide with realization as he nodded, "You're right... In our unluckiness we've been very blessed. Though... I like to think that we would have somehow found each other anyway."

"I hope that we would have, but still... That's a moot point and the fact remains that we are very lucky to have been brought together. Though, I wish my mom didn't have to die," I sighed, resting my nose against his.

"I also like to think that she didn't have to, simply because I could never make the choice between your suffering and our love," Neville whispered sadly. I kissed him softly on the mouth.

"I don't blame you at all, and I'm happy with where I am now," I paused, "Safe and in your loving arms."

He kissed my lips softly again and I fell asleep, completely unaware of what the next day would bring- and blissful because of it.

I woke up the next morning and began to get dressed, as always, pulling on navy leggings, a jean skirt, a long sleeved dark blue t-shirt, a short-sleeved jean jacket, and dark blue high-tops. I remember this outfit so well because I ended up wearing it for forty-eight hours straight. Neville got dressed next to me pulling on a sweater over a collared shirt and khaki pants and "trainers," yet another outfit I would always remember.

"Wonder how we'll occupy ourselves today?" Neville asked nonchalantly as he played with a lock of my hair as I brushed through it. I shrugged, smiling at him.

"Who knows. The day is young," and we left to enter the main room, where everyone was reading or doing nothing and just goofing around. Neville took out his DA Galleon, turning it between his fingers, as I lay down and rested my head on his lap. The morning passed without incident, though soon enough I grabbed the wireless and began to tap it with my wand, still lying on Neville, who was taking a nap.

"Werewolf… Werewolf… Werewolf…" I muttered, wondering when _Potterwatch_ would come back on.

"THIS JUST IN!" the loud voice of Lee cried out, so loudly that the wireless screeched and everyone groaned, covering their ears. Neville shouted in protest at being woken up and I kissed him softly in apology.

"Word has _just_ been delivered to us here at _Potterwatch_ that there are reports of a _large, white dragon_ flying from Gringotts Wizard Bank! Sources aren't sure yet as to why the dragon is being let free or exactly what is going on inside of Gringotts itself, however, there are rumors of a break-in!" Lee continued.

We all gasped and anyone who had been milling about at the outer edges of the room came closer to hear better. I reached out and clutched Neville's hands tightly.

"Yes, as one of our favorite friends-on-the-run always used to say," Ginny continued breathlessly.

"Hagrid," Fred agreed, catching on.

"NEVER break into Gringotts!" Lupin sighed, "We all await eagerly here for further news and we encourage our listeners to stay on for this live news report!"

There was the sound of frantic footsteps in the background. Neville squeezed my hand even tighter.

"Reports have just come in- our sources are ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent sure that it was _Harry Potter_ and his gang riding on the back of that dragon. They reportedly broke into Gringotts, stole something, and only managed to get away from the grasp of the Death Eaters by riding atop said dragon. Reports say that the dragon was last seen flying northward near Scotland; what Harry was after, whether or not he got it, and whether or not he, Hermione, and Ron are all safe is unknown at this point!" Lee reported, breathless over the wireless.

Everyone began shouting in amazement and talking loudly over each other out of shock. I was staring at the wireless. A _dragon_? _WHAT now?_

"Everyone!" Neville tried to calm down the group to no avail.

"EVERYBODY!" he attempted again, and I watched in amusement as his face conformed into a grimace at not being able to stop the chattering.

"SHUT UP!" he finally roared, and everyone grew silent. Well, everyone but me; I had erupted into giggles and he glared at me playfully from the corner of his eye.

"Look," Neville paused, "We _don't know_ for sure what's going on; we shouldn't be making any speculations at this point. However, it seems like Harry is taking more and more drastic action and I _do_ recommend that we get ourselves ready for any impending battle, plan, takeover… you name it, we should be ready for it."

"CAFFEINE!" I shouted, running over to the portrait, "I need caffeine. Lots of it. If we're going to be staying up forever listening to news, I want to be more wired than a Cornish pixie. Anyone else?"

Quite a few hands went in the air and I nodded and ran down to Ab's.

"Hello," he answered gruffly, "I suppose you heard the newscast?"

"Yup," I paused, "That's why I need eleven _really_ strong coffees."

"One moment," Ab left me and went into the kitchen, and came back out with multiple coffee cups on a plate, "Hopefully this will all get sorted out soon and we can go back to hiding and being uninteresting."

I nodded and ran back into the RoR, passing out the coffee mugs and drinking one eagerly myself.

"Furthermore," Neville paused, as if he had waited for me to keep talking (he probably had,) "At the _mention_ of trouble or needing help, we all need to call in the people on the run. Seamus, I give you the job of notifying through the Galleons for everyone to apparate directly into the Hog's Head, alright?" Seamus nodded in understanding.

We all settled down for a few moments, listening to Ginny and Lupin and Lee discussing the current situation and where Potter and his friends could be at that moment, though no actual real news came in. Neville looked exceptionally worried and I wanted to wipe said worry from his face.

"I hope it's nothing," he murmured to me after a while. I looked at him in shock.

"Don't you want it to be over?" I asked in amazement.

"Yes. But don't I also want to be sure you'll be safe?" he whispered. I felt my face contort into an understanding expression and I leaned up to kiss him softly.

"I'm equally worried for you," I paused, "But we'll get through it."

"Together," he nodded, holding my hand tightly.

"Members of the DA," a smooth, ethereal voice called up. We all turned in shock to see the slight, blonde girl from the portrait to Ab's talking to us.

"Present," Neville answered nervously.

"Please send one of your number down to the Hog's Head immediately," she commanded calmly.

"Um… Neville," Seamus pointed as he took out his Galleon. I stood up with him in anger.

"No. What if it's something dangerous?" I argued angrily, "I'm coming with you."

Neville looked at me and saw it was pointless to argue. We waved to everyone and he held my hand tightly as we stepped through, walking slowly down to fate.

AN: Brownie points to whomever can figure out through the powers of google why Ginny's Potterwatch name is Rousettus. Nerdy high five to anyone who knows from memory or can guess. This chapter made me giggle a lot, what with all the comical moments going on in my head. Sorry for the rather filler-ish chapter, but as you can tell, the excitement starts in the next! EEP HOGWARTS BATTLE (*pottergasm*)

Love you all, and reviews are basically the only thing I eat- so yes, also for dessert.

¡YAY REVIEWS!


	13. Ch 12: Meeting a Legend

Ch. 12 Meeting a Legend

_Feel it comin' in the air_

_See the streets from everywhere_

_I'm addicted to the thrill_

_It's a dangerous love affair_

_Can't be scared when it goes down_

_Got a problem, tell me now_

_Only thing that's on my mind_

_Is who's gonna run this town tonight..._

_Is who's gonna run this town tonight..._

_We gonna run this town_

_~ Run This Town by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West _

Halfway down the passageway, Neville tripped on his shoelace and had to bend down to tie it, which was troublesome in the low light. I hesitated, not wanting to leave him.

"Better go see what Ab wants," Neville grunted, grumbling about the shoelace, "I'll be along in a mo', I promise."

I continued to walk, rather cold now without him by my side, and entered the Hog's Head to see three older teens standing with Ab. One, the only girl, had light brown hair that made mine look tame, which was hard to do. The other had very messy black hair, circular glasses, and a lightning bolt scar. He was also rather short. The third, however, was Ron.

"_Ron!_" I cried happily, running forward and hugging him. He laughed in response

"Maggie! Wow, didn't expect to see you here, did I?" Ron laughed, grinning at me broadly.

"_You _didn't expect to see _me?_ How do you think _I _feel?" I giggled, rolling my eyes.

"Excuse me, but..." the other boy- Harry, I could only assume- began.

"Who the hell are you?" the girl, Hermione, snapped.

I turned to examine her, and opened my mouth to answer in my natural, rude fashion when Neville jumped out of the portrait hole.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" he laughed happily, and ran forward to hug each one before returning to my side and exclaiming to me, "I _told_ you they'd come back! I _told_ you!"

"Neville - what the - how - ?" Harry stammered in astonishment.

"Fine, I owe you five galleons, unless you can propose a better form of repayment of our debt?" I sighed in defeat, grinning in spite of this at Neville's general excitement.

"I have a few ideas but we can talk about that later- this is _brilliant_!" he cheered.

"Neville, what's happened to you?" Harry finally asked in amazement.

"And who the hell is she?" Hermione demanded again.

"You never told me she was rude, Nev. Smart, yes. Rude? No," I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms protectively in front of my chest.

"This is Maggie, we heard about her on the Wireless, didn't we?" Ron explained.

"All we heard was that an American had gone into hiding and that's not anything we couldn't have figured out from her here," Hermione argued.

"I decided to go on holiday at the wrong time," I joked, "It's been the worst vacation ever, more to the point."

"The worst?" Neville pouted at me. I rolled my eyes at him in response.

"The last two weeks have been brilliant, but before then it was rather terrifying, yes," I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Why are you at Hogwarts at all?" Hermione snapped.

"Deep breaths," I ordered, "Look, I recently graduated from the Salem Witches' Institute, so I thought I'd see how the two systems of education compare. I didn't do much of that, though, did I?" I looked at Neville with a smirk.

"Well, you did sit in on _some _classes," Neville paused, "In the beginning..."

"Anyway, I eventually befriended his lot," I pointed at him in amusement, "And got swept up in the resistance movement. At first it was because I thought it was the right thing to do, but then I found out they killed my mom and well, their funeral right?"

Harry's face twisted in pity.

"And then they hurt you," Neville whispered.

"And you, by the looks of it," Harry insisted.

Neville waved it off, "Michael Corner's got it worse, plus, Seamus' face is rather grotesque looking. And Maggie was..."

"Shh," I stepped on his foot, "You guys should see Neville's scar, though. It's beastly."

"Show us, then," Ron paused, "Oh, by the way, any luck Maggie?"

I looked at him in confusion, "With what?"

"Ginny told me about..." he inclined his head towards Neville.

Though amazed, I smiled at him and nodded, reaching over and squeezing Neville's hand before he used it to pull off his sweater and shirt.

All three gasped in horror at the sight of Neville's scar, which looked even redder in the lighting. He shrugged nonchalantly and put back on his clothes, much to my private annoyance.

"How..." Harry whispered.

"Malfoy thought he could capture Maggie and bring her to Voldy. His mistake," Neville shrugged again. I blushed furiously and bounced back and forth on my toes.

"Ab, more people are going to be coming through here, sorry about that," I explained. He scowled at me.

"It's after curfew," he grumbled.

"And that's why they'll be apparating directly into the bar," Neville nodded, "Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot."

"I still don't understand how you know her, Ron," Hermione grumbled a we all climbed into the passage. She was chipper, that one.

"Well, when I was at Bill and Fleur's over Christmas, she and Ginny came to visit, didn't they? We had a fun conversation," Ron laughed.

"By the way, any luck for _you?_" I asked.

"No," he sighed. I smiled at him sympathetically.

Harry piled in last after talking with Ab.

"How long has this been here? It isn't on the Maurader's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of school?"

"They sealed off all of those before the start of the year," Neville explained, now gently squeezing my hand as we walked along, "There's no chance of getting through any of them now..."

"So many flipping dementors," I growled.

"Never mind all that... Is it true?" Neville begged. I caught on immediately.

"Seriously? Did you break into Gringotts?" I laughed.

"Escape on a dragon?" Neville asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, it's true," Harry affirmed rather modestly.

"I hope you treated him or her humanely," I sighed.

"We realized it into the wild, though, Hermione was all for keeping it as a pet..." Ron chuckled.

"Don't exaggerate, Ron-" Hermione replied.

"At least he or she is free now," I grinned broadly at Neville, who grinned back before asking, "But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, but I don't think so. I think you've been up to something."

"And I thought you had joined a nudist colony," I joked. Ron rolled his eyes at me but was trying hard to not laugh.

"Neville's right," Harry paused, "But tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything."

"It's not like Hogwarts anymore," Neville replied grimly, "Do you know about the Carrows?"

I hissed angrily at the mention of their names.

"The two Death Eaters that teach here?"

"They don't really teach, let's call a spade a spade," I snapped, "They brainwash."

"Bet Hermione woulda loved that," Ron chuckled.

"They're also in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows."

"Again, Nev, you're too kind," I shook my head, "They like torture. Pure, remorseless torture."

"Like Umbridge?"

"They make her look tame. A kitten," Neville smirked, "The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to then but they don't if they can help it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do. Amycus..."

I hissed again and felt my body freeze up.

"Crap," Neville sighed, "I'm sorry, Mags, don't..."

I nodded; regaining my composure as Neville gently rubbed my back. Ron grinned at this, but Harry and Hermione watched in general astonishment.

"Any who, he teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts, though now it's just really Dark Arts. We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions..."

"_What_?" they all gasped. I laughed grimly and squeezed Neville's hand.

"Yeah," he paused, "I got one of these scars for refusing to do it. I don't keep track anymore. Though, some people are into it; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect. He also teaches about loads of truly awful curses, it drives me mad," Neville scowled.

"Why do you hate the mention of his name, though, Maggie?" Ron asked. I swallowed and shook my head.

"Love," Neville paused to let that word sink in, "Telling them can drive home just how awful... But you don't have to..."

I took a deep breath and whispered, "I know some things... Stupid American magical secrets and all that... That the Carrows decided it would be worth torturing me to find out about. So Alecto did some Sectumsempra, Cruciatus, and even used a knife on me. Didn't work, of course, I'm not going to tell them anything. So then she brought in Amycus and he..." I couldn't keep talking. I had buried it deep inside.

"Amycus raped her," Neville explained quietly.

Everyone gasped and began shouting in protest. I held up my hand to make them stop.

"It's fine, I didn't tell, and Nev's helped a lot in me moving passed it." I sighed.

There was a slight pause. _Finally, _someone asked.

"Um... What's going on between you two?" Harry asked awkwardly.

"It isn't obvious?" Ron laughed.

"Captain Teaspoon of Emotion," I rolled my eyes at him. Hermione looked shocked that I would know that reference.

"She's my girlfriend," Neville explained, "And I bloody love her."

"Shh," I laughed, blushing furiously, "I love him, too, despite his extreme silliness."

Ron clapped loudly and I glared at him, "_You_ be quiet."

"Did you tell Ron or something?" Neville laughed.

"I told Ginny, and she told Ron," I explained. Neville nodded in understanding.

"Anyway," Neville paused, "Where was I before I got distracted? Oh yeah. The Carrows. Anyway, Alecto teaches Muggle Studies, which is compulsory for everyone, though it's really just her ranting about how muggles are animals. I knew we could trust Maggie when she blatantly asked how much muggle blood she and her brother had."

"Blimey, Maggie, there's a time and a place for a smart mouth," Ron sighed.

"You didn't hear her, did you? Lies. I cannot _stand_ such blatant lies."

"The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives them hope. I use to notice it when you did it, Harry," Neville explained.

"But they've used you as a knife sharpener," Ron gasped, wicking every time you could clearly see his injuries.

"Doesn't matter in the end," I sighed, "They don't want to spill too much pure blood, do they? So with folks like Nev they just torture them a bit for being intelligent but won't ever kill them. To a point."

Harry looked positively horrified.

"The people in actual danger are those who have relatives on the outside giving them trouble, like Luna. They get taken hostage. She was taken from us on the train at Christmas."

"Neville, she's all right, we've seen her-"

"We know," I nodded, "She communicates through those galleons you cast the protean charm on."

"We use them to communicate in the active DA, too," Neville grinned happily at Hermione, "We used to sneak out at night and put graffiti, the paint courtesy of Maggie here, on the walls: _Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting_, _We're Watching You_, stuff like that."

"You _used_ to?" Harry asked.

"Well, it got more difficult as time went on, didn't it? The Carrows really started coming down on us as the year progressed, and Luna was gone at Christmas, and Ginny disappeared after helping Maggie escape, and them and us," he pointed between us, "Were sort of the leaders. The Carrows knew we were behind a lot of it, so they came down on me hard, cause Maggie was in hiding, and then Michael Corner went and got caught releasing a first-year they'd chained up, and they tortured him pretty badly. That scared people off. And apparently, he got tortured _again_ before hiding away. I owe him one."

"No kidding," Ron muttered.

"I couldn't ask people to go through what Michael did, so we dropped those kinds of stunts. But we were still fighting, doing underground stuff, right up until a couple of weeks ago. That's when all hell broke loose, didn't it?" Neville chuckled, "Maggie snuck out to get me a tonic; I wasn't feeling well. Malfoy cornered her in the corridor and they had a pretty nasty battle, luckily, I managed to gather my strength and get up there before Malfoy could capture her and bring her to Voldy."

"What's so important about you? Not to be rude or anything," Harry asked.

"Um…" I looked at Neville, who nodded, "I can do magic without a wand."

"Impossible," Hermione stated. I laughed.

"America has a lot of magical secrets you'd deem 'impossible.' That's beside the point. I'll prove it," and I snapped my fingers, causing a huge bonfire to appear in front of us in the passageway. Ron squealed like a girl and I snapped my fingers again, causing the fire to disappear.

"Like I was saying," Neville rolled his eyes, "So I fought Malfoy, and as we were getting back to the Common Room we ran into Amycus…"

Harry breathed in sharply.

"Yeah. For some reason though… I don't even know, something came over me because he began taunting Maggie," Neville paused, "And I just stunned him in one go. He was gone. Unfortunately, that meant rather soon after that they brought me in to be tortured by Crabbe and Goyle. It was pretty bad, and right before then they went after Gran."

"They _what_?" the three said together.

"Yeah," Neville laughed, "Well, you can see their thinking. It had worked really well, kidnapping kids to force their relatives to behave, I s'pose it was only a matter of time before they did it the other way around. Thing was," he began to grin, "They bit off a bit more than they could chew with Gran. Little old witch living alone, they probably thought they didn't need to send anyone particularly powerful. Anyway," Neville laughed, "Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter," he hugged his pocket like he always did when he reminisced about his gran, "telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parent's son, and to keep it up."

"Cool," Ron laughed.

"Yeah," Neville said happily, "Unfortunately, they were already starting to get weary with me, seeing as they had no hold over me, so they were already planning something for me when Amycus decided it was time to give his lecture on 'methodology of rape.'"

"Oh no," Hermione whispered.

"Well, I couldn't stand for it, him talking about Maggie like that in such detail for the whole class. So I did Mags a solid and cut off his balls with Sectumsempra and ran. It was time to disappear, though it gave me deep satisfaction," Neville laughed.

Ron looked deeply impressed, though confused, as he asked, "Aren't… aren't we heading straight back into Hogwarts?"

"Ah, the brilliance. You'll see," I laughed as we turned the corner and came up to the door. Neville opened it and we all climbed through. I quickly followed Neville as he shouted to the group, "Look who it is! I should have brought cake."

Harry, Ron and Hermione entered and everyone started screaming, "HARRY! It's Potter, it's POTTER! Ron! _Hermione!_ Oh my God!"

All three looked rather dazed and confused as Neville, looking proud as a peacock at his delivery, came to stand next to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. Everyone ran up to shake their hands and hug them, but Neville was content to just place his face in my hair and smile.

"Yo! Miscreants!" I yelled after I'd had enough of the noise, "Calm down! Let 'em breathe, yeah?"

"Where are we?" Harry stammered out after having been given breathing room.

"Room of Requirement, of course!" Neville grinned, "Just, brilliant! I was being chased around the entire bloody school, and I knew I had just one chance for a hideout: I managed to get through he door and this is what I found! Well, it wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a load smaller, there was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hangings. But it's expanded as more and more of the DA have arrived."

"And the Carrows can't get in?" Harry asked.

"No," Seamus spoke up from where he was sitting, rather close to Lavender, on the couch, "It's a proper hideout, as long as one of us stays in here, they can't get at us, the door won't open. It's all down to Neville. He really _gets_ this room. You've got to ask it for _exactly_ what you need, like 'I don't want any Carrow supporters to be able to get in', and it'll do it for you! You've just got to make sure you close the loopholes! Neville's the man!"

"It's quite straightforward, really," Neville muttered, going on to explain the rest of the story. I frowned, looking at Harry, who was now rubbing his scar in annoyance. I gently poked Neville in the back and he looked at me as others talked, and I nodded at Harry. Neville immediately looked alarmed.

"Tell us what you've been up to, though," Ernie began, ignorant of Harry's odd behavior, "There've been so many rumors, we've been trying to keep up with you on _Potterwatch…_ You didn't break into Gringotts?"

"They did!" Neville laughed.

"And the dragon's true too," I added nonchalantly, everyone laughed and then burst into applause. Ron, being Ron, bowed.

"What were you guys even _looking_ for?" I demanded, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Harry then turned around rapidly, his hand still to his scar. He began to writhe and Ron grabbed a hold of him. Neville and Seamus both rushed forward, everyone shouting in shock and fright. I stood there, terrified, on my feet. He finally came to, sweat pouring down his face.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Neville gasped, "Want to sit down? I expect you're tired, aren't…?"

"No," Harry replied forcefully. He and the other two exchanged significant glances, and he muttered, "We need to get going."

"What are we going to do, then, Harry?" Seamus demanded, "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" Harry looked shocked, "Well, there's something we- Ron, Hermione, and I- need to do, and then we'll get out of here."

Dead. Silence.

"What d'you mean, 'get out of here'?" Neville asked quietly. I walked over to him and held his hand again.

"We haven't come back to stay," Harry continued to rub his scar, "There's something important we need to do…"

"What?"

"I… I can't tell you."

Neville looked _pissed_ (and he never looks pissed, except where the Carrows are concerned.)

"Why can't you tell us? It's something to do with fighting Voldy, yeah?"

"Well, yes…"

"Then we'll help you."

Everyone began nodding, and I squeezed Neville's hand tightly. I knew how hard it was for him to stand up to his friends; he'd done it once first year and it hadn't ended well, though I though he had done a good thing- like he was doing now.

"You don't understand… we… we can't tell you… We've got to do it alone." Harry stammered, looking very tired.

"Why?" Neville was on a role, I hadn't seen him this persistent in a while.

"Because…" Harry looked scatter-brained and stressed, "Dumbledore left the three of us a job, and we weren't supposed to tell, I mean, he wanted us to do it, just the three of us."

Neville opened his mouth to retort, but I was getting pissed. I stepped in front of him and felt my eyes narrowing.

"Look here," I snapped, making Harry look at me in shock, "You don't understand how much these kids have been sacrificing for you. Yes, I just called you all kids," I shouted at the mild protests from behind me, "Work with me. They've been sacrificing their happiness, their safety, their peace of mind for you and you show up and you don't let them help? What do you think they're going to do? Sit here and twiddle their thumbs? They can _help_ you, goddammit; this war isn't about You versus Voldy-pants. It's about Good versus Evil and you have to have help in that or you are _never_ going to win. You aren't a God," I paused, "You aren't undefeatable and these kids have been doing everything they can. Don't take that away from them, or I might have to punch you in the face."

Harry looked at me, shocked, but before he or one of his pals could say anything the portrait opened and Luna and a tall, dark kid came in.

"Got the message, Neville! Hello you three, I thought you must be here!" Luna laughed, "And Maggie! She isn't sad anymore, then?"

I ran forward and hugged her tightly, "I've missed your craziness."

"I missed you too, Maggie!" Luna laughed as Seamus ran forward and hugged the other kid, making me realize it was Dean Thomas, his best friend on the run.

"It's so great to be back!" Luna continued, "Been rather boring on the run."

"Luna," Harry looked even more stressed, "What are you doing here? How did you…"

"I sent for her," Neville held up his galleon, "We thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution."

"Listen," Harry sighed, "I'm sorry, but that's not what we came back for. there's something we've got to do, and then…"

"Thanks for nothing," I hissed.

"What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You-Know-Who…" Ron tried to justify, looking at me sadly.

"Then let us help!" Neville snapped.

"You'll probably need us," I shrugged, looking at my fingers nonchalantly.

The portrait opened again, and Fred, George, a kid with dreadlocks, and Ginny came in. Ginny grinned at Harry and I smirked at her, she was such a witch.

"Aberforth's getting a bit annoyed. He wants a kip, and his bar's turned into a railway station," Fred explained as an Asian girl followed him, saying "I got the message." Harry looked shocked to see her.

"So, what's the plan, Harry?" said George.

"One moment, I must say something important first," Ginny held out her hands and pointed to mine interlocked with Neville's, "Did you two finally…"

We both nodded, smiling at her. She squealed, in a very non-Ginny-like manner, and hugged us. I laughed and beamed at her in response. The trio looked bemused beyond comprehension.

"And there isn't a plan," I added, looking at Harry in anger.

"Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favorite kind," Fred nodded, and he and George fist-bumped.

"You've got to stop calling people! This is insane!" Harry yelled at Neville.

"No its not," I snapped back, taking the defense position of my man. No cheesy-ness intended, but no one could attack him and not have to get past me first.

"We're fighting, aren't we?" Dean asked, "The message said Harry was back, and we were going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though…"

"You haven't got a _wand_…" Seamus looked horrified.

Ron looked at us all for a moment before turning to Harry and Hermione. They all began whispering together frantically. I looked at Neville, who shrugged, but squeezed my hand tighter. I turned to Ginny next to me and whispered, "You are a vixen. You shouldn't smile at Harry like that and you _know_ it."

She just beamed again in response. The trio turned around again and Harry said in annoyance, "Okay. There's something we need to find. Something that'll help us overthrow You-Know-Who," Harry was cut off by George.

"I prefer the term Voldy Pants. Makes him less evil sounding."

"Fine, Voldy Pants. It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?" he looked at the group of Ravenclaws hopefully.

"Well, there's her lost diadem. I told you about it, remember Harry? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it." Luna looked very cheerful as always.

"Yeah, but the lost diadem is _lost_, Luna. That's sort of the point," Michael rolled his eyes.

"When was it lost?" Harry furthered.

"Centuries ago, they say," the Asian girl replied, "Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but, nobody's ever found a trace of it, have they?" she looked to the other Ravenclaws. All of them shook their heads.

"Sorry, but what _is_ a diadem?" Ron sighed.

"It's a kind of crown," Terry explained, "Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer."

"And none of you have ever seen anything that looks like it?" Harry begged. They all shook their heads again.

"If you'd like to see what the diadem's supposed to look like, I could take you up to our common room and show you, Harry? Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue," the Asian girl offered.

He clutched his head again and then he muttered something to the other two, before saying to everyone, "Look, I know it's not much of a lead, but I'm going to go and look at this statue, at least find out what the diadem looks like. Wait for me here and keep, you know… the other one… safe."

The Asian girl got to her feet, but Ginny suddenly interjected angrily, "No, Luna will take Harry, won't you, Luna?" Luna nodded eagerly and the Asian girl sat back down, causing Ginny to look triumphant. I looked at her questioningly.

"That's Harry's ex," she whispered in my ear. I nodded, trying my hardest to not laugh.

"How do we get out?" Harry asked Neville. He pointed to the door, explaining about how it would come out somewhere different every day. Harry nodded and the two left, closing the door behind them. Everyone looked at each other, at loss for words.

"We're going to go too," Ron explained apologetically. Hermione looked at him in shock and he muttered, "Bathroom. Moaning Myrtle. I'll explain on the way."

"Anything we can do to help?" I asked.

"Can you speak parseltounge?" he asked mildly. I shook my head, as did everyone else in the room.

"Then no… see you all in a bit," Ron nodded and they left through the door. Neville turned to the group and shouted, "OK guys, it's starting to look like this is it… this is the big one. Harry needs to find something here and lord knows, Voldy's looking for him. Everyone, let's start sneaking out to the Great Hall, see if we can do anything to help."

Everybody nodded and quietly left the room in droves, until it was just us inside. He looked at me for a very long moment, his eyes dark and terrified.

"I don't want to lose you," he whispered.

"I know, I'm sorry I've gotten you into this. We probably should have waited until after the Battle," I nodded sorrowfully.

"No…" Neville pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms tightly around me, "Mags… Oh Mags… I would have been like this whether we had made love a thousand times or never or never even told each other how we felt. Maybe I wouldn't have been as conscripted to die if you did, but… living would have been very hard."

_"_I love you too," I whispered hoarsely, "And I wouldn't take it back for anything. I expect to fight alongside you, though. Even though I'll probably do something rash to save your life, it's better than not knowing where you are, and being terrified because of it."

He nodded, pulling me into a very heated kiss and holding me tightly to him with tears in his eyes, "I don't… I want to… There is a big, a very big, part of me that wants to take your hand and run, run very far away until we are free and safe and alive…"

I nodded, "There is a huge part of me that wants to bring you to America, introduce you to my dad, and watch the stars with you in perfect safety."

He kissed me again and we both sighed as we pulled away from it. We were both crying and I was trying to steady myself before going out there.

"I have to tell you something else," I whispered. He nodded, "Anything."

"If you see me… If I'm running, with my wand and palm out towards the sky…" I paused, thinking about how desperate I felt even now.

"Yeah?" Neville looked puzzled.

"It's that last magical secret I didn't tell you about," I paused, "It means I'll be apparrating Thailus here, directly, so he can help me in combat. Unfortunately… it could kill me. If I'm exhausted, it probably will. If it's in your power… stop me. The urge to do it will be very, very strong and I'm afraid I won't be very logical. But… I'm counting on you."

He nodded, his eyes wide, and he kissed me again, "Anything for you."

We took each other's hands and left into the corridor. There was no one around, but the lights were lit and chaos seemed to be everywhere by the sounds in the distance. We looked at each other and ran up the stairs to where we knew Harry and Luna had gone, the Ravenclaw Common Room. But, midway up the stairs, we ran into Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, fighting each other magically. He was being protected from a bunch of daggers from McGonagall only by a huge suit of armor. Neville and I watched in awe and I had absolutely no idea what to do, as I knew both professors were on the side of good and either one of them dying would be disastrous. I wanted to scream out, "STOP!" but no one would have trusted me after that.

"MCGONAGALL!" Neville cried out, and began throwing curses at Snape as well. I turned around and saw Professors Flitwick, Sprout and Slughorn coming up from behind.

"No! You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!" Flitwick declared, and attacked Snape with his own set of armor. I stared, helpless, as Snape went and jumped out of the window, flying away.

The decision was a snap one, and a mistake, but I did it anyway. I immediately turned around, saying nothing, and sprinted. I had never run this fast in my life. I felt like some sort of sprint runner, zooming down the stairs and out of the front door faster than anything- it must have been a combination of dragon, magic, and adrenaline. I could see Snape flying up in front of me, and I chased him across the schoolyard, despite the shouts I heard from behind me in the castle.

"COME BACK YOU COWARD!" I screamed, trying to make it look like I was chasing him for evil. But as soon as I reached the Forbidden Forest, I began screaming in earnest, "SEVERUS! SEVERUS! SEVERUS!"

I ran into him, practically, waiting for me in the forest. He looked at me darkly.

"I must play my part, and you yours," he nodded.

"Dear God," I panted, "Couldn't you just give up the charade, now?"

"No one would believe me and you know it," Snape paused, "And I fear this is it. One of us will probably die in this battle."

I nodded, tears forming in my eyes, "You were a good debater."

He laughed coldly, "I try. You were a good reminder of sanity." He held out his hand, "Until we meet again."

I shook it briefly before running forward and hugging him tightly, and then pulling back, "Look… I hate to ask you to delay any longer, but I need you to injure me in some way so it looks like I was fighting you."

He nodded, and flicked his wand in the air. My ankle immediately felt broken and I fell to the ground in pain, but nodded at him in thanks.

"I feel that we will not meet again, to which I say…" Snape paused, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied, getting up and nodding at him.

"Your... Your mum... Melinda would have been very proud of you," he finished in a strangled voice

I watched him, tears in my eyes, unable to put into words what that meant to me. He took off, and I limped away, groaning in pain but at least convincing.

Luckily, I hadn't had to go far into the forest to catch up with him, and I quickly reemerged on the grounds, limping heavily and groaning. He had really taken me seriously when I said I wanted to look convincing, I felt like my entire leg was broken. I quietly limped up to the castle and was about to open the door just to find Neville opening it, looking at me like I was insane.

"Are you _completely mental_? Taking on Snape all by yourself? You're lucky you're not dead, I was so terrified and _if you do that to me again…_" Neville was crying, though, and he wrapped his arms around me and picked me up, carrying me into the castle bridal-style. I nodded, burying my head in his shoulder.

"I just… I couldn't let the bastard get away," I whispered. He nodded.

"I understand but that was _crazy_… God… I love you, don't do that to me again," he sighed as we entered the Great Hall, where McGonagall was talking to all the students.

"Promise. I love you, too," I nodded. He set me down on a table and Professor Flitwick ran over, wand out, and quickly tapped my leg and it healed.

"You crazy girl," he commented lightly, before running back to McGonagall's side as she talked about Voldy's descent upon the castle.

"I know that you are preparing to fight." A cold, high, clear voice called out. Everyone began screaming and I looked at Neville in pure terror. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

Voldy was on the other end of the line. Voldy was talking to us and I felt like I was about to die. Neville hugged me close to him, terrified.

"Give me Harry Potter," he continued, "And none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

Silence. But then, Pansy Parkinson, another Slytherin I hated, shouted out, "But he's there! Potter's _there!_ Someone grab him!"

Neville and I got up and ran, as fast as I had before to Snape, to block him. So did all the Gryffindors, and then the Ravenclaws, and then the Hufflepuffs, all to block Harry from view.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," Professor McGonagall said tersely, "You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow."

I looked at Neville. This was it. The castle was evacuating.

All that was left was war.

AN: I apologize for the entirety of this chapter being, basically, a transcript of the book. As you can imagine, the rest of them won't be like this, mainly because Maggie and Neville's part in the battle rarely intersects with Harry's, which is what the book is based on. I hope my changes to the original story don't piss off too many people; this story is essentially AU, because there's an entirely new character, and as such I need to change things. I tried to keep true to most of the original story as I could.

As always: PLEASE REVIEW! I updated the story twice in one day, technically. Come on. Review. Both chapters. I love reviews. YAY REVIEWS! HAPPY FACES FOR REVIEWS OK I'm going to sleep now. REVIEW!


	14. Ch 13: A Battle Commences

Ch. 13 A Battle Commences

_I'm ripped across the ditch, and settled in the dirt and I'm_

_I wear you like a stitch, yet I'm the one who's hurt_

_Pay attention to your twisted little indiscretions_

_I've got no right to win, I'm just caught up all the battles_

_I am a world before I am a man_

_I was a creature before I could stand_

_I will remember before I forget_

_Before I Forget That! _

_~ Before I Forget by Slipknot_

A tall, dark man ascended to the raised platform to talk to everyone left to fight, which was a good portion of the school. He began shouting orders, telling the teachers where to go. Neville turned to me.

"I'm going to the greenhouses, lord knows there are a bunch of dangerous plants in there that could do real damage," Neville paused, "Are you going to come with me?"

I nodded and we sprinted outside towards the greenhouses, holding hands and running in time with one another. We were being followed by Professor Sprout and a gaggle of students, who apparently had the same idea. We entered the greenhouses and Neville started grabbing multiple pots; on closer inspection I saw that they contained fully grown mandrakes. I turned and saw a large group of venomous tentacula, in hibernation in the corner. I pulled out my wand and levitated them together and carried them in front of me to the Gryffindor Tower, following Sprout. She threw earmuffs at me, nodding at Neville with the mandrakes, and I shoved them on my ears while still levitating the venomous tentacula. Sprout herself was carrying very carefully what could only have been cuttings of a Devil's Snare. Nearby, Hannah had multiple fanged geraniums, and Ernie carried undulated bubotuber pus. I finally saw Susan Bones gingerly carrying some _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ plants. All were to be thrown from the tower.

Neville hastily yelled at the fat lady to open up already and she complied. It had been so long since I had been in here, or it felt like it- in reality it had been two weeks. We ran to the window and looked down to see crowds of Death Eaters and unpleasant creatures storming towards the castle. Sprout handed each of us a pot with a mandrake, and mouthed for us to pull it out and lob it over on her signal.

We waited, waited and waited as the giant black mob seemed to fly towards the castle. I was reminded of the muggle legend of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The American rebels were not supposed to fire until they saw the whites of the redcoats' eyes, for they had limited powder and bullets. In reality, a group of wizards-

"NOW!" Sprout mouthed and we all pulled out the mandrakes from their pots and threw them over. The dark wizards below began to scream and fall over, many probably dead.

We repeated the process, though everyone grabbing the mandrakes at their own pace, and continued throwing them at the Death Eaters who only managed to survive by magically catching the plants in midair and flinging them away. Unfortunately, from what we could tell all they had to do to stop them from screaming was step on their faces.

Once we had exhausted our supplies of mandrakes I pulled off my earmuffs and grabbed a fanged geranium and threw it over, watching in perverse fascination as it began to maul the face of an ugly Death Eater below. Neville grabbed a Devil's Snare using his wand and flicked it over the side, and it quickly entangled itself around a Death Eater and suffocated him. I threw a _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ over the side and giggled as it exploded all over the faces of the Death Eaters, causing them to scream once again.

Now, unfortunately, most of them had regained enough composure to start shooting curses at us, and most of our time had to be spent dodging out of the way. I watched as a group of them sent curses towards the tower and I managed to in a split second scream, "DUCK!" and grabbed Neville's shirt, falling to the floor.

The curses blasted apart the side of the tower, and what used to be the dormitories fell down and crashed to the ground below. Rubble fell everywhere and we were hit with a shower of pebbles, smashing into our backs and necks and scratching across our skin. I cried out in pain and looked up when the dust cleared to see just the Common Room, but without a ceiling. The door to my old room creaked and fell to the ground to reveal the entire side of the room blasted away.

I quickly ducked down again as another shower of curses flew towards us. I watched in horror as Susan, who had stood up thinking it was over, was hit with one and crumpled to the ground.

"NO!" Hannah screamed, crawling forward towards her best friend. She began sobbing upon seeing that Susan was dead.

"Hannah!" Ernie cried out, "We can mourn her later, you're in danger there!"

Hannah, still sobbing, crawled back to Ernie, who hugged her briefly before grabbing a fanged geranium and throwing it over, tears streaming down his face. I looked to Neville in terror and his expression mirrored my own. Sprout was continuing to throw over _Mimbulus mimbletonia_, but I could clearly see the tears on her cheeks.

I jumped up and lobbed a jar of Bubotuber pus over the side and ducked down just as a curse singed my side, cutting through my shirt and revealing a nasty wound. Neville immediately reached out and put his hand there to stem the bleeding with tears streaming down his face.

"Maggie!" Sprout threw a long rag torn from her robe at me and I tied it tightly around the wound, closing my eyes tightly in pain. I continued to fight, though, using my wand to fling a Devil's Snare over the wall while staying protected behind it. I watched as curses flew over the sides of the tower and down at us, and screamed as another curse of the color green came and narrowly missed Ernie. He shouted in surprise and ducked out of the way, his eyes wide with terror of how close he had come to getting killed.

I grabbed a huge stone and threw it over with magic, grunting with the effort but now furious at these evil people, shooting curses to kill even though it could hit one of their own, what were they thinking…

Neville caught onto the idea and everyone stopped throwing our depleting supply of plants and turned instead to our one abundant resource: rubble. I used a bubble of hand magic to send a shower of rocks over the side, watching with morbid curiosity as they all fell upon the Death Eaters below and crushed them. Neville did the same, actually with hand magic, and didn't even look winded after the effort. The screams from below penetrated my soul but I continued fighting blindly.

Suddenly, the portrait door swung open and we all turned to see a man with crazy eyes and his Death Eater mask on the top of his head. He had wild black hair and a sneer on his lips, his wand raised.

"Look at that, how lucky I am," he paused, "the son of the Longbottoms. How are your parents?"

Neville glared at him and raised his wand to stun him but the man continued talking.

"I helped torture them, you know. Everyone attributes it to my wife, Bellatrix, but hardly anyone remembers me. I tortured your mum," he grinned evilly at him, "I watched her writhe and scream on the ground. She kept screaming for you, for you to be protected. Her hair turned white rather quickly, I guess she was always rather weak-"

"STUPEFY!" I screamed, shooting the curse at him. It barely missed, zooming past his arm. He looked at me briefly before sending another curse my way, but I dodged out of the way and crouched behind some rubble, shooting another curse at his ugly, ugly face. He fought back, and curses zoomed through the air as we rounded each other, turning around and dodging behind rubble. My anger at him, Bellatrix Lestrange's husband whoever he was, was so great my eyes were seeing red. How. Dare. He. Do. That. To. Neville.

I finally stood up, despite the danger in doing that with all the curses zooming by, and shot a stunning spell directly into the man's heart. His eyes grew wide and he stumbled backward, his wand clattering out of his hand. He stumbled so far, in fact, that he fell over the side of the tower and towards his death down below. I ran over and saw as he hit the ground, blood splattering everywhere.

Just before I could duck down, a curse hit my arm and its entirety went numb. I collapsed, screaming, and curled up into the fetal position from the pain. Sprout crawled over to me as Neville began shouting in terror, and waved her wand over me before producing a plant from her robe pocket, shoving the plant into my screaming mouth when it became clear that I wasn't going to be able to put it in myself. I instinctually swallowed it, though the pain was so great I couldn't really think straight enough to chew. As the leaf went down my throat, it burned like hell but gradually my arm stopped hurting and then went numb, before having proper painless feeling returned to it.

Neville looked at me, his eyes wide and his entire face white. I sat up and smiled at him weakly, patting his arm with the hand that had been cursed, which now had a slight tingling sensation though I knew it was getting better.

"Thank me later, love," I nodded and grabbed another piece of rubble, but even that now was running down. We continued to shoot bits of rubble over the side until the Common Room was almost clean, only with dust and small pebbles left. The five of us turned and began to break into the last of the plants, which included a scattering of the others and all of the Venemous Tentacula, which we had been saving for last.

Suddenly we were surprise by someone lobbing a fanged geranium behind us; we turned and saw am eldest witch wearing a moth-eaten hat.

"Gran!" Neville shouted in surprise before flinging over the last Devil's Snare.

"Hello," she greeted proudly, "Good work, Neville. I assume your Maggie is here?"

I gingerly held up my hand waved it, my face coloring profusely. Neville's gran crawled over to us and shook my hand.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Neville holds you in extremely high regard; the only person he's talked about in a similar manner is Harry Potter-"

"IS NOW THE TIME, GRAN?" Neville yelled. I looked over and counted that we only had ten plants left.

"I'm getting more plants!" I shouted. Before Neville could argue, I crawled through the rubble and opened the portrait, or what was left of it (the fat lady had fled to the portrait next door) and sprinted down the steps. The walls of the castle were shaking madly and I stumbled multiple times on the way down, looking around madly for a Death Eater.

I came out onto a corridor and continued sprinting, but rounded the corner to come face to face with a masked Death Eater. I instantly held out my left palm and shot a blast of energy that threw him back on his back on the ground, stunning him long enough for me to pull out my wand and stun him properly. I ran, jumping over his limp body.

I continued to run, but was sent crashing into the wall as the opposite wall blew open, blasting stones at me and one hitting the side of my head. I blacked out, even, for a few moments, but eventually woke up miraculously still alive, my head throbbing. I stumbled forward and, limping, jogged between the rubble. A stone must have landed on my leg and it now made the worst crunching sounds as I stepped on it.

_Everything is going to shit,_ I thought angrily, _Leaving Neville was the worst idea I've ever had. _

I managed to stumble into the Entrance Hall and was amazed by the number of people in it, curses zooming through the air at breakneck speeds. And that's when it started to happen; the instinct that I had dreaded.

I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even think straight. I shot a curse at an approaching Death Eater but I felt like I was suffocating whilst doing so. I fought various foes, but I was barely conscious of it, and my head was swimming. I didn't even notice when a curse flew into my stomach and I had even more trouble breathing as I scattered through the crowd.

I had read so much about this; it was the thing that the UDRA warned was the worst thing to happen to a rider. In theory, after going through the Academy and training, the rider would be competent enough fighting on their own to not give in to this need.

But I hadn't gone through the Academy.

I was lost without Thailus and the only thing I could think of doing was calling him.

I no longer was headed to the greenhouses; I would take care of that later. This was much more important.

I sprinted, feeling a second wind at this new idea, and managed to navigate through the fighters. I was halted by a giant onslaught of spiders. Their creepy, spindly legs terrified me, but I skittered around them and to the outdoors, where the crowd of Death Eaters didn't notice me behind the spiders. I sprinted out to the field, dodging curses and falling when one hit my thigh and sent chills through my body. I groaned and stood up, now limping in all seriousness, and held my palm and wand out to the sky.

"MAGGIE!" I heard my most favorite voice scream. I looked to see Neville at the crumpled tower, no longer fighting but watching me, terrified. A Venemous Tentacula was in his hand, but Professor Sprout came and wrenched it from his grasp and threw it over. It must have been the last plant, because no one seemed to be doing anything over there anymore.

I had to do it. He couldn't stop me.

"MAGGIE DON'T! DON'T PLEASE!" he screamed again, hopelessness and desperation evident in his voice.

I closed my eyes tightly, picturing his beautiful blue snout and caring eyes.

"MAGGIE!" his voice was now shaking with suppressed tears.

"THAILUS!" I screamed. The grounds fell silent.

A huge swirling vortex opened, black twisting circles seeming to go on forever inside it. And then, in the next moment, my Thailus came zooming out. He landed to the ground, each of his footsteps causing the ground to tremble and shake. As he opened his maw to roar, everything blacked out and I crumpled to the ground.

-Neville's POV-

I remember only too clearly what happened next.

Panic had entered my soul when I saw her, so clearly, running through the fields with her hands in the air. I knew about this, she had warned me about this, she had told me to stop her. But she was too far away from me and I couldn't stop her, I couldn't reach out and pin her arms down or take away her wand. All I could do was scream, scream and scream some more.

I could hear her only too clearly, the word Thailus escaping her lips and filled with desperation. The entire grounds went silent as the force of the magic being performed reverberated through it. A huge vortex opened, and out came the biggest reptile I had ever seen.

He was so huge, I couldn't believe my eyes. He was the size of Grawp, as Maggie had said, but it was possible he was even bigger. His neck was long and tapered to that horned snout, a crest of horns lining the back of his skull. The snout itself was the shape of a crocodiles, but thicker, sort of like the shape of one of those dinosaurs- T-Rex- that Maggie talked about sometimes. The long neck was lined with spikes on the back and tapered to a thick body, with long legs going straight down in front and shorter ones in the back. His wings were huge and see-through, and the spikes continued along his back and down his even longer tail, tapering in a large diamond-shaped club. Every scale was blue, this wings were light blue and the spikes were cerulean, shining brightly in the moonlight. He crouched low upon impact, which shook the entire school, and roared so loudly I felt my ears pop.

Everyone started screaming, including myself, but I was only doing so because I saw Maggie fall to the ground. Everything within me tensed up and I had no idea how I would know if she were dead.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no…_

Thailus in one smooth motion bent his head down and gently lifted Maggie up, flipping her so she would land perfectly between two of his back spikes. He flapped his wings, roaring again, and the Death Eaters seemed to regain their composure. No one was sure what side he was on, so curses began to come at him from all sides. He roared again. The curses didn't even seem to affect him as his ran forward, scattering the crowd, and took off into the air. With a grace and majesty that no creature of that size should have possessed, he zoomed through the air and turned on a dime, coming towards me.

I watched him desperately as he grabbed onto the side of what remained of the tower, leaning and allowing Maggie to slide into my waiting arms.

"She's alive," he hissed angrily, "Take care of her. Idiot! Idiot idiot idiot!" he roared again, "I'm going to go kick some ass."

I nodded, tears flowing down my face as he let go of the wall and flew towards the oncoming giants, crashing into one and biting down on his head. Though Thailus' head was smaller than the giant's head, his overall body size was almost the same, and as he clawed and bit at the giant the giant actually began to start screaming in pain.

I gently laid Maggie down on the ground and poured water from _Aguamenti_ onto a cloth ripped from my pants, putting the cloth onto her forehead. Her breathing was labored and she would randomly twitch in her stupor.

"Neville!" Professor Sprout shouted, "Get her somewhere safe!"

"WHERE?" I screamed in response, ducking as curses came flying over the wall and protecting my love with the entirety of my body.

"ANYWEHRE BUT HERE!" Sprout shouted, "ERNIE, HANNAH, come with me, we'll go get some more plants, I know a secret way to the greenhouses."

They all left and I picked up Maggie, tears streaming down my face, and crawled away with Gran. Gran watched me carry her with an amazed expression on her face. I was crouching but still managing to carry her without grunting in pain or feeling weak.

"You must really love this girl," Gran commented lightly. I turned and looked at her from the corner of my eye, still concentrating on being gentle with Maggie.

"She's everything, Gran. Everything," I paused, "I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her."

"If we survive," Gran reminded.

"No if. We're surviving. Starting now," I felt determined as we crawled through the portrait hole and into the tower.

"She killed Rodolphus Lestrange, Gran," I whispered, "She killed him."

Gran's eyes widened and she looked down at Maggie with even more respect as we reached a mildly untouched corridor and sat down. I now felt out of breath and rested against the wall, gently laying down Maggie.

"How? Rodolphus was a monster," Gran whispered in response, "No one could kill him during the original war, and lord knows, when the war was over your parents couldn't fight him and his brood off…"

"She stunned him and he fell over the wall without a wand and died," I murmured, my voice shaking, "She killed him."

Gran looked again at my love, breathing raggedly, on the floor.

"I never told you about how your mum and dad eventually got married," Gran whispered. I looked at her in shock.

"What do you mean?" I asked, nervously.

"They were fighting in the war," Gran paused, "And your uncle Richard had recently died."

"What?" I snapped, "I had no aunts or uncles. You told me that."

"Your only uncle died before your parents had even met, Neville. And you had gone through so much already, I felt it was best you didn't know," Gran sighed softly. I looked at her, anger, shock and pain flooding through me.

"Richard had been killed by a death eater by the name of Renee Nott. She was the aunt of one of your classmates, I believe," Gran paused, "Doesn't matter. Richard and your father had been inseparable. When Alice had met your father, he didn't tell her about his brother for a long time. The two fought against the dark side together, and fell in love. It was a match made in heaven, your father idolized her," Gran smiled, "Your letters about Maggie remind me so much of his about Alice."

I continued to stare at her in shock. I still couldn't get over the fact that I had an Uncle.

"There was a battle at Hogsmeade, though it was nothing like this, just a few Death Eaters and a few Aurors. Your mum, bless her, cornered Nott in an alley. She later told me it had been instinctual. The two fought for hours, according to your father, with no one intervening. You have to understand, Renee was a monster. She makes Bellatrix Lestrange look tame," Gran paused, "But she killed her. Your mum killed her. And your father knew she was the one, because she said afterwards, 'She hurt you. No one's allowed to do that.' They got married a month later."

I watched her, speechless.

"Don't be afraid, Neville. Do _not_ be afraid," Gran stood up, "I am going to go fight. Take care of her. I have a funny feeling she shall survive." She walked away, and I tried to wrap my head around the story she had just told. Instinctually, however, I continued to care for Maggie. I made my pants shorts with the amount I tore from them and continuously wet her forehead. Her breathing was getting less labored, giving me mild hope.

I looked up when I heard footsteps approaching, my eyes narrowing in distaste. I wasn't in the mood to fight, but I would fight to the death to protect Maggie.

Minerva McGonagall rounded the corner and gasped when she saw the scene before her.

"What happened, Neville?" she demanded, running forward and kneeling at Maggie's side. Maggie was now twitching slightly in her sleep, though breathing normally.

"She used an insane amount of magic to bring Thailus here," I explained.

"That huge blue dragon that just ate a giant?" Minerva snapped. I nodded, impressed by the dragon's efforts.

"She _would_ have a dragon. OK," Minerva paused, "She looks to be recovering but slowly. I'll need your help for this one, Neville, I can't restore her energy on my own." I nodded, feeling incredibly nervous.

Minerva took my hand and held out her wand. I did the same, watching her for instructions.

"Say with me _Sano optimum_," Minerva instructed. I nodded.

"_Sano optimum,_" we both said at once. I immediately felt energy drain from my body, like when I had first done hand magic, but nowhere near as quickly. I breathed in sharply and closed my eyes, willing the energy to drain from my body and enter hers.

Minerva let go of my hand and our wands extinguished, and Maggie took a huge gasp of air. Her eyes opened and she sat up gingerly, looking around in shock.

The relief that entered my being was enough to make someone faint, but I remained upright.

-Maggie POV-

I woke up and saw McGonagall and Neville sitting next to me, their wands out. The look on Neville's face was filled with such relief I felt like I was about to cry myself. He immediately brought my face to his and kissed me, so much so that I felt dizzy.

"Neville, is this _really_ the time," McGonagall sighed. He pulled back from me, pressing his forehead against mine.

"If you _ever_ do that to me again…" Neville paused, "This is the _second time today_…"

"Sorry," I mumbled, "I told you, it was a deep instinct. I couldn't fight it."

"How the hell was _I _supposed to?" Neville groaned, "I was in a tall tower! Ugh. That's it. You're not leaving my side, for _real_ this time."

McGonagall watched the exchange in amazement.

"I can do that," I paused, "Want to go flying with Thailus?"

Neville looked terrified, horrified, petrified.

"You said you didn't want to leave my side," I pointed out, "And that's where I'll be. Fighting and flying."

Neville groaned but nodded, covering his face with his hands.

"May I ask a quick question before I go back to the battle?" McGonagall asked.

"You just did," I pointed out. McGonagall groaned.

"Well, her wit isn't impaired at least," she paused, "Are you two beyond the realm of friendship in your relationship to one another?"

"If that's a fancy way of asking if we're together, then yes," I rolled my eyes. McGonagall nodded.

"I'm really not surprised. But just a warning: be careful. You can't be sure what your feelings will drive you to do in the course of fighting to protect one another," she stood up, "Be careful." And she was gone in a burst of green robes, turning the corner and her footsteps echoing away.

I looked over at Neville and tried to stand up, my legs still very weak. I groaned and stumbled into his arms. The look in his eyes was shocking, and it made my heart pound out of my chest.

"What?" I asked softly, pulling myself up by his shoulders.

"My Gran… My Gran just revealed some things," he paused, "Stuff she'd been keeping from me."

"Wha'?" I asked in shock as we began to walk, slowly, through the corridor.

"I had an uncle, for one," Neville paused. I looked at him in surprise, still hanging on him to walk properly but now stopped in midstep.

"_What_?" I snapped, amazed.

"Yeah. Uncle Richard, my dad's brother," Neville paused, "He died before my parents even met. And… well, the reason my parents got married apparently was because my mum killed the woman who killed my uncle, a very powerful dark witch, all by herself. And that was what drove my dad to marry her, even though they had already been together before. It was like the deal-clinching thing."

"Why did she tell you this? _Now_, of all times!" I gasped as we continued down the corridor.

"Well, I don't know why she'd kept it from me for years," Neville sighed as we rounded the corridor to come upon a huge scene of wizards and witches battling each other violently. I grimaced at the sight; I wasn't ready to fight yet.

"But… she kept making parallels between you and my mum," Neville frowned, "And me and my dad in relation."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked as he took my hand and we began running through the battle, keeping to the shadows to avoid being caught, running towards the outside where Thailus must have been.

"I'm saying… I'm saying that I think she approves," Neville stammered nervously. We managed to reach outside with no curses coming in our direction and I whistled. Thailus dove and scooped us up out of nowhere, immediately turning on a dime and flying into the fray.

"Thailus, I have to tell you something," I greeted warmly as Thailus dove and blew fire in a huge straight line across the grounds.

"I know you're an idiot, you don't need to tell me that," Thailus growled as he turned again and spun in midair. Neville screamed, holding fast to one of Thailus' spikes behind me (I could tell because, through our mind link, Thailus was annoyed with the rough treatment.)

"Nev, don't hold so tight," I soothed, reaching behind me to put his arms around my waist, "Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

"So you two finally figured it out?" Thailus laughed, "Good. When I saw you two together I could _smell_ the future couple. Is it finalized? Oh wait… Yes. Yes it is," Thailus laughed again, very loudly, after searching my mind, "My lord, you two… I won't tell your father, I promise."

"You better not," I hissed as he dove down into the crowd of Death Eaters and picked a handful (which for him was about five) up and flew over to the lake. Before he replied, Thailus threw the Death Eaters into the air and breathed fire on them. They fell, screaming, into the lake. Thailus turned around, back towards the main battle, humming.

"Why would I endanger your life? _I_ would die, not to mention, so would Neville. Neville, by the way, in terms of dragon partnership, we're equals. We both have our lives completely determined by Maggie," Thailus paused, "So I think that means we're brothers. I dunno. Maggie and Emralda are sisters."

"Who's Emralda?" Neville asked nervously. I turned to see that his face was green as we spun again in the air and dived, breathing more fire on the crowd below.

"My mate," Thailus explained, "We already have many children. Really, I shouldn't be surprised at you two acting like wild animals, lord knows Emralda and I aren't puritans, and you _would_ naturally mimic our behavior…"

"Is this really the time?" I laughed as he dove to the ground and began running through the fray, spinning around and knocking a huge group of spiders away and through the air, roaring his head off.

"No," Thailus paused, "But I like to make small talk when I'm kicking ass."

"Only you!" I shouted as he took off into the air again, diving at another giant. The last, his last meal, was currently gathering flies on the ground.

"Um… Maggie, I _really_ do not feel well," Neville groaned as Thailus blew flames into the giants' face and then zoomed up towards the dark sky to escape his club.

"I'm sorry, you said you didn't want to leave me!" I laughed as we spun around in midair.

"I know, but… oh my God…" Neville groaned and then leaned over the side. I could see vomit flying everywhere and Thailus yelled in disgust.

"Sorry," Neville panted, "I'm really, really sorry… I won't do it again, I promise…"

Thailus grumbled but zoomed towards the giant, grabbing onto the back of his neck and biting down into it. Neville and I held on for dear life as the giant and Thailus tussled, the giant swinging his club as Thailus narrowly dodged it, sneaking bites in whenever he could.

The giant roared in frustration and swung his club at Thailus, hitting his tail violently. Thailus and I roared in collective pain and Thailus dived towards the ground, zooming back up clumsily as his tail was now limp and broken. I began weeping heavily at the pain I felt through our link.

"Shit, Thailus, maybe you should land," Neville suggested, "And I'm really not suggesting that for me, I promise."

Thailus nodded and gingerly flew to the ground, landing and immediately beginning to nurse his tail. I ran to the tail and began muttering healing charms over him, remembering how to heal dragons from my Dragon Riding course.

"Maggie…" Neville paused, watching me work quickly with hesitant eyes.

"Yeah?" I answered distractedly, quickly muttering the spells.

"I… I think my Gran was trying to tell me something else, too," Neville stammered.

"What?" I asked, finishing up my spells as Thailus sighed with noticeable relief.

Neville opened his mouth again, nervously, but was stopped by that same cold, clear, high voice coming through the grounds.

"You have fought, valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured. I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted you friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

I stared at Neville in shock and he looked even paler than before. Thailus turned around to face us, his look determined.

"We must protect the Potter boy," Thailus paused, "I wonder if Voldy knows there's a dragon?"

"Probably," I rolled my eyes, "We'll fight properly when the hour's up. For now, we should go help. Lord knows… we have to get Susan…" I sighed sadly. Neville nodded in agreement, still looking scared.

"What's wrong, Nev?" I asked softly, reaching out to caress his face. He sighed under my touch, closing his eyes and holding my hand to his face.

"I think… My Gran… I trust her, Mags," he paused, "And I have no idea why it wouldn't be a good idea to do what I think she wants me to do."

I looked at him in confusion.

"We are going to be together forever, yes?" Neville asked. I nodded.

"Yep!" I grinned, "Isn't it great?"

Neville smiled and nodded, "Very. I love you."

"I love you too," I paused, "What are you getting at here?"

He swallowed, looked briefly at Thailus and back at me, "When… When this is all over…"

"Yeah…" I raised my eyebrows.

"Will… Will you…" Neville swallowed, "God, this is hard, even though I already know the answer."

I rolled my eyes, "Come on, Nev, we have work to do. Tap into that Gryffindor side that's been at work all day."

He looked at me, swallowed again, and nodded.

"Maggie… will you marry me?"

AN THAT'S SEMI IMPORTANT: Bet you didn't see that one coming, heheheh.

So I have a YouTube channel that I don't post things on. I have some playlists. Look up "dinolove453" and on my channel there are three story song playlists, one for each story of this series. Listen to them. Because the music is awesome. Seriously, I pick each song very carefully for each chapter.

Insight into my mind: For all the songs for all three stories, whenever I hear them on my iPod now I definitely picture Maggie, Neville, Ginny, Luna and Seamus as a band. Maggie sings lead vocals, Neville is on guitar and backup vocals, Ginny on base and backup vocals, Luna on the keyboard or whatever instrument is needed in the song, and Seamus on drums. Yup, I'm weird. But, to justify it: The bulk of these songs have awesome guitar, and as such, Neville's boss quotient increases dramatically because he's a rocker. Which is saying something, cause he was already amazingly boss.

I also recently drew how I picture Maggie, because I have ADD and had no idea how to start this chapter. It's how she looks before this battle; if anyone wants to see it I'll try to figure out how to post it. IDK.

Please Review! I love them so much… please… Review… -puppy dog eyes-


	15. Ch 14: Abetting Suicide

Ch. 14 Abetting Suicide

_I've been walking, you've been hiding,_

_And you look half dead half the time._

_Monitoring you, like machines do,_

_You've still got it, I'm just keeping an eye_

_You know you're better than this_

_I'll make you start, got your heart in a headlock,_

_I don't believe any of it._

_You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock,_

_You know you're better than this_

_~ Headlock by Imogen Heap_

I felt extraordinarily light headed. I stared at him in shock, only managing to breathe out a feathery, "H-Huh?"

He walked forward and gently held my upper arms, looking deeply into my eyes. I stopped breathing altogether.

"Margaret Natalie Johnson," he whispered softly, "Will you marry me?"

I swallowed and stammered, "D-don't you think... Don't you think it's awfully soon? To be asking? I-I..."

"Why not?" Neville laughed, "It's going to happen eventually after all."

I swallowed again, my head spinning, "B-But... I... It's so sudden I..."

"Maggie," Neville raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"The answer is yes, just give her a moment," Thailus grumbled behind us. Neville watched me in amusement and I tried really hard to breathe properly.

"Wh-What... Wh-When... B-But..." I blushed furiously.

"It wouldn't be for a while, certainly not until after you've gone home and balanced your psyche, as you've said," Neville paused, "But beyond then, I don't see any point in waiting. Except to make it nice. I haven't even taken you on a proper date yet, Lord knows I want _this_ one little part of our lives to be somewhat normal."

"It won't be, with dragon riders there's this special bit to the ceremony but-" I shook my head, clearing it. I remembered how when I was fifteen and I realized that I didn't ever have to get married in the end I decided it was an archaic institution and made my policy to be firmly against it.

"As normal as possible, then," Neville shrugged.

"I-I-I..." I looked at him, and his deep brown eyes, my heart pounding like crazy. What about my principles? I suppose they didn't matter. After all, I was already married to him in everything but name.

"I'm not changing my name," I finally whispered. Neville laughed loudly.

"I am _not_ surprised, love," he chuckled, kissing my forehead. I grabbed the edges of his collar to bring him down for a proper kiss, my tongue dancing with his. He moaned into my mouth and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me closer to him. I almost forgot that we were in the middle of a battle.

I pulled back from him, still locked in his embrace.

"Neville Richard Longbottom," I whispered, "Of course I'll marry you."

He kissed me again, pulling me as close to him as possible. I wrapped my arms tightly around his shoulders and buried my fingers in his hair, feeling as though our cells were meshing and becoming one organism between us. I never wanted to let go of him.

"Ahem," Thailus coughed loudly. I paid him no heed, kissing Neville desperately.

"Ahem," Thailus repeated, "We have work to do, yes?"

Neville kissed me again, ignoring Thailus still, and he got so frustrated he stuck his snout angrily between us, forcing us apart.

"My God," he groaned, "Check your hormones for a second. We have to _go." _

Neville nodded, breathless, and we both climbed onto Thailus' back. He gently glided to the castle and flew down into the Entrance Hall, which no longer had a roof, and manage to walk into the Great Hall and even fit in a corner. The tables were all gone, and all that was there were bodies and the wounded and those tending to them. Ginny came running up to me with tears streaming down her face.

"What is it?" I asked, holding her steady.

"Fr-Fred... Fred is dead, Maggie, Fred's g-gone," she sobbed. I felt shock enter my system. How many more would die? Tears pooled in my eyes and I hugged her tightly, feeling the loss acutely in my own heart. I hadn't gotten to know him as well as I would have liked to, he was funny and brave and clearly meant the world to the Weasley clan. We walked towards the Weasleys, and I could see a man in his late thirties or early forties, scarred across the face, lying dead next to a woman who was in her twenties, with purple hair. Everyone seemed to be equally upset about their deaths.

"Who are they?" I asked softly of Neville as we sat by Fred's head. I gently touched his hair with tears falling down my face. He had been so full of life…

"Lupin and Tonks," Ginny answered, still sniffling, "They just had a baby, too…"

I turned and buried my face in Neville's shoulder, tears streaming down my face. Neville wasn't crying, but had a very stony expression on his face. I gripped his shirtsleeve and continued weeping.

"Neville, Maggie," I heard a sad voice call out. We turned to see a tall, athletic boy and Professor McGonagall standing there, looking glum.

"We need help bringing more bodies inside; I don't suppose you'd be willing to…?" McGonagall asked. I nodded, standing up, and Neville stood up as well but more slowly, looking determined. We followed the boy as McGonagall went to console the Weasleys.

"Maggie, this is Oliver Wood," Neville introduced quietly, "Sorry you had to meet under these conditions."

I smiled thinly at him and he nodded in return. We walked outside where many bodies were strewn about, from both sides. I watched as Neville went and approached one, a boy of about sixteen. Tears were streaming down Neville's face.

"Colin," Neville sobbed. I looked at him and I gently touched his arm.

"We have to get him inside, we don't have much time to mourn," I murmured. Neville looked at me and nodded. I turned as he went to pick up the teen, and saw in front of me something that I never wanted to see. My heart broke into a thousand pieces and I fell to the ground, my head hitting my knees and tears streaming down my eyes and onto my thighs.

"No… no… no…" I sobbed horribly, clutching at my hair even though it hurt terribly to be ripping it out so.

"What? Maggie, who…" and then Neville saw. He let out a wail and I heard him fall next to me as well, holding tightly to my arm and sobbing.

Oliver Wood came forward and picked the body off of the ground, his eyes downcast and dark. I watched, trying my hardest to not stop him and hold the body to myself, wishing that by some miracle my touch or my tears could bring her back to life.

_Luna, Luna, Luna…_

I stood up, filled with fury, and raced towards Oliver, screaming "NO! NO!" and trying to get the body out of his arms. Neville followed me and stifled me, pinning my arms to my sides and holding me in place as I struggled.

"Let me _go!_ Let me _go! SHE CAN'T BE DEAD! LET ME GO!" _I screamed, tears flowing freely down my face. Neville held me all the tighter, tears flowing down his face as he stopped me from interfering with Wood, who slowly carried Luna's lifeless body to the Great Hall.

I screamed and turned around, hitting Neville in the chest for him to let me go. "_LET GO OF ME! I CAN SAVE HER! LET ME GO! SHE CAN'T BE DEAD! LET ME GO!" _I continued screaming, struggling against his hold, but he was stronger than I had even realized and he held me fast, tears falling from his eyes.

"Maggie, there's nothing we can do, please calm down…" he whispered, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion.

"_LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!" _I screamed, so overcome with emotion that I didn't truly know what I was saying or doing. I clawed at his arm and tried to force myself away but he continued to hold onto me.

"Maggie, please, I'm just as upset, if not more so, please calm down," Neville started sobbing as I writhed in his arms. I felt the dragon instinct kicking in, now that Thailus was close enough to tap into it, and that's when I realized I was going too far. If I tapped into the dragon, I would probably kill him. And that would be just a terrible idea.

I continued to struggle for some moments before finally relaxing, sobbing into my hands and falling to the ground again. Neville kept his distance, watching me with desperate eyes. _She couldn't be dead, not Luna, no…_

He finally knelt down and smoothed my side bangs from my face, looking at me sadly. I looked up into his eyes and pulled myself together, sitting up and going over to the body of the sixteen year old named Colin. Neville came with me, helping me hoist him up, and we carried him gingerly to the Great Hall. I saw Ginny, now sobbing over Luna's body as well as her brother's, shaking with the force of her emotions. I turned, closing my eyes, and walked back out to the field. Neville came alongside me, but paused in the middle of a corridor.

He leaned against a wall and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, and I had never seen him look so old, so wearied, so _tired_. I reached out, automatically, and gently smoothed the wrinkles from his scarred forehead with my fingertips. He opened his eyes and looked at me, gently reaching up and holding my hand where it was. I traced along his face, where there were several new and angry looking wounds, holding his gaze. He reached out and gently traced along a scar that had been newly formed along the underside of my chin, causing me to look even more upwards at him (he was so tall, something that I hardly had even noticed before.)

"There are still more out there," I whispered hoarsely. He nodded and gently wrapped his arm around my waist, walking down to the grounds again. I heard, distantly, the sound of someone gasping for breath and groaning. I looked to Neville, who didn't seem to have heard, and grabbed his hand to lead him towards the sound. When I saw who it was, I gasped and ran forward.

Seamus was lying on the ground, holding the side of his shirt, which was read with blood. His legs were twitching and his eyes were closed. I knelt down by him and ripped a portion of my tights with my wand, using the elastic to wrap around Seamus' wound in his stomach. He looked up and at me and laughed quietly.

"Forgive me for saying this, Neville," he paused, "But Maggie, you look like a bleedin' angel."

"I'm bloody and scratched up, Seamus," I rolled my eyes, "And I think I'm going to vomit."

"A sickly angel, and like I said, a bleedin' angel," Seamus smiled, "But an angel nonetheless, I feel like I'm gonna die any second. Neville, if you weren't here I'd bleedin' kiss her."

Neville rolled his eyes, "Ok, I think you'll be fine, you're fine enough to hit on my girlfriend."

I laughed weakly and nodded to Neville, and we were about to lift him up to carry him inside when I heard a very tired voice sound out behind us.

"Neville."

We turned around, and Neville nearly jumped out of his skin, gasping, "Blimey, Harry, you nearly gave me heart failure!" I looked in worry at Seamus, who was still weak, wondering what the _hell_ we had to do for _le petite prince_. Harry pulled off the rather famous Invisibility Cloak and looked at us, an unfathomable expression on his face.

Neville looked at me from the corner of his eye and I knew what we were both thinking: where the hell is he going all by himself.

Thailus appeared out of nowhere and landed behind us. I breathed a bit easier at his presence.

"Potter," Thailus paused, "Know that I am dedicated to your protection." Harry's face had gone a bit white, much to my amusement. At least it was good to know he wasn't fearless to the point of insanity.

"Furthermore, my partner and her mate seem to be of the same mindset, so I must ask: where are you going, alone?" Thailus bore his fangs threateningly.

"It's all part of the plan," Harry stammered, "There's something… something I've got to do. Listen – Neville – "

"Harry!" Neville paled, "Harry, you're not thinking of handing yourself over?"

"No," Harry answered, "'Course not… this is something else. But I might be out of sight for a while. You know Voldemort's snake, Neville? He's got a huge snake… Calls it Nagini…"

"I've heard, yeah… What about it?"

"It's got to be killed. Ron and Hermione know that, but just in case they – " Harry's voice stopped for a moment and I know what he couldn't bear to say, "Just in case they're – busy – and you get the chance – "

"Kill the snake?" Neville responded, a determined look now on his face.

"Kill the snake," Harry nodded.

"All right, Harry. You're okay, are you?" Neville asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Neville," but Harry didn't look fine. Neville stood up, but so did I. I still was suspicious of what Harry was doing, alone.

"What is this thing you're doing, Harry?" I paused, "Need some help?"

Harry shook his head, "No, I've got to do it alone."

"You sure?" Thailus growled, "Maggie could be of infinite assistance to you. I must insist she go with you."

Harry shook his head again, more fervently this time, "No, I have to be alone, you must understand… um…"

"Thailus," the dragon paused, "You must forgive me, Potter. I do not know you, certainly not like Neville or Ginny do. But, I do know human nature extraordinarily well. When I partnered up with Maggie I had to take a series of classes on it because I would be so involved in the human world. And I know general details about you," Thailus frowned, "And I know that it is incredibly likely that you are going into that forest to give yourself up to save your friends. I would bet my life on it, and linked to my life are two other lives. So I'm betting mine, Maggie's, _and_ Neville's lives on it."

Harry swallowed and shook his head again, "I'm not…"

"My mind's made up. Doesn't matter what you say, Harry, Maggie can help you. Go," Thailus pushed me with his snout, "Neville and I will transport Seamus and the others. Go."

And the glare he was giving at Harry Potter lead him to throw the cloak over me as well as him, and we walked towards the forest. The look on his face was shockingly angry.

"Why did your dragon do that?" he sighed as we entered the forest, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Because he's a dragon, and dragons don't allow people to bullshit them," I hissed in response.

"Look," Harry paused, "You've got to understand something, I know you won't understand the simple thing I'm doing so I'll give you the explanation…"

"Huh?" I asked, stopping in mid step. He looked at me in impatience, his bright green eyes still unfathomable.

"Back in the Room of Requirement, you wouldn't take my evasiveness for an answer," Harry clarified, "So I'm giving you the backstory so this goes smoothly Also, Snape trusted you, so…"

"What does Snape have to do with this?" I hissed again, anger filling my soul, "He's…"

"He was on the good side, I know that now," Harry paused, "And I know you knew."

I swallowed and looked at him in shock.

"Snape knew one thing about me, one thing that Dumbledore knew before him, and he gave me his memories just before he died…" Harry paused as shock entered my face.

"Wait _what_?" I felt tears form in my eyes, "He's… He's _dead_? No, no… no, not Severus, please tell me you're joking…" the tears pooled over my eyes and fell down my cheeks.

"You can mourn him later, we don't have a lot of time," Harry hissed, "Look, he gave me his memories, of how he fell in love with my mother but joined the dark side anyway, and joined Dumbledore when Voldemort killed my mum, and then Dumbledore told him how… How part of…" Harry took a deep breath, "How part of Voldemort's soul latched onto mine the night he tried to kill me, and has been there ever since."

I looked at him, speechless. Realizing that Thailus could be hearing everything, I blocked him from my mind to protect Harry and Harry's mission.

"This means," Harry paused, "This means… I have to be killed if Voldemort is. So… I have to go to him."

My eyes widened and I felt everything within me grow cold.

"But… But…" I swallowed, "But… everyone's counting on you to kill Voldy… _everyone_…"

"And, in a way, I am," Harry shrugged, "But I've got to die. Dumbledore made that very clear. And better now than any other time. I only just found out, and I'm not going to let there be any more Freds."

"Or Lunas," I whispered. Harry's eyes widened and I saw the shadow of despair on his features before he pulled himself together.

"Let's go," and we continued through the forest. I was silent. I wish Thailus hadn't decided to push me along with Harry; this was one tragedy I didn't need to witness. But I followed anyway, realizing how suspicious it would look if I reappeared in the field, without Harry, after entering the forest with him.

There was a swarm of Dementors up ahead, and I pulled out my wand, though I didn't feel very cheerful. Harry suddenly pulled a Golden Snitch from a bag hanging around his neck and whispered to it, "I am about to die." The snitch broke open and procured a black stone with a crack along the middle. I didn't understand fully what was going on as he turned the stone around in his hand and began talking to people I couldn't see, crying as he did so.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. I watched in amazement as he seemed to get an answer from nothing.

"I didn't want you to die," he paused, "Any of you. I'm sorry… right after you'd had your son… Remus, I'm sorry…" I had no idea how he was talking to Remus Lupin, but he seemed to believe he was.

"You'll stay with me?" Harry finally asked. There seemed to be an answer, for he then said, "They won't be able to see you?" Another pause. "Stay close to me." And even though I hadn't cast a Patronus (never been very good at them, unfortunately) the chill of the Dementors didn't touch me, or him. We continued through the forest, and he looked absolutely terrified. I reached out, touched with a spurt of kindness towards him that was very uncharacteristic of me, and held his hand. He looked over at me, surprisingly grateful (I felt that he was surprised as well) and we continued through the forest.

We stopped in our tracks as we heard a rough whisper, "Someone there. He's got an Invisibility Cloak. Could it be - ?" And two figures emerged from behind a nearby tree, one in fancy clothes and another in more rugged clothes, but older.

"Definitely heard something," the one in fancy dress said, "Animal, d'you reckon?"

"That head case Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here," said the older one, looking around anxiously.

"Time's nearly up," the fancy one commented, looking at his watch, "Potter's had his hour. He's not coming."

"And he was sure he'd come! He won't be happy."

"Better go back, find out what the plan is now." And the two turned around and walked deeper into the forest. Harry and I followed them, my heart pounding in my ears. We followed them into a clearing that was filled with a huge spider web. There was a fire in the middle, and there was a huge crowd of silent Death Eaters. I started sweating. What had Thailus gotten me into?

_Oh don't blame it all on Thailus you twit,_ I thought angrily to myself, _Thailus is **you**, and as such, it was **you** who sent yourself in here. What have **I** gotten myself into?_

Voldemort was standing in the middle of the clearing, ignoring all the Death Eaters around him that were nursing their various injuries.

"No sign of him, my Lord," the older of the two Death Eaters sighed. Voldemort looked up, no change in his expression.

The crazy looking woman whom I knew to be Bellatrix, the person I hated most in the world, came forward to Voldemort gasping, "My Lord…"

Voldemort raised his hand to silence her, whispering, "I thought he would come. I expected him to come."

The atmosphere was filled with terror.

"I was, it seems… mistake," Voldemort paused. His voice was dark. Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, hiding me behind a tree and putting the cloak in his pocket. I immediately hid myself, understanding his need to keep his family heirloom.

"You weren't," Harry answered. I swallowed and felt tears leak out of my eyes. I backed away, unable to watch the proceedings, my heart pounding out my chest. I feared for my life as well as his, and his life had been so precious to the DA for so long… I couldn't… I had to… I had to fight the instinct but I _had_ to protect him and… I heard Hagrid scream at Harry and the Death Eaters cackle happily at the sight of him and then...

I'm such a klutz.

I fell down over the branches and crumpled into the ground, creating a huge ruckus. All the Death Eaters, of course, noticed.

"HOMENUM REVELIO!" screamed Bellatrix in my direction, and I felt the sting that meant she detected me. She rushed forward and found me behind a tree. Cackling, she grabbed me by the hair and wrenched me forward, painfully pulling at my roots. I bit back my scream of terror, biting down painfully on my lip.

"And who is this?" Voldemort said cooly, "You'll forgive me, Harry Potter, I am a bit distracted." Voldemort walked over to me and put his wand under my chin to lift it. I looked into his eyes defiantly, glaring at their bright red slits.

"The American, my Lord," I heard Alecto cackle from far off, "The one tha' can do magic withou' a wand!"

Everyone around began muttering. Voldemort's eyes raised in curiosity.

"Ah yes," he whispered, "The one who wouldn't talk no matter what happened to her. How did you describe her, again, Amycus?"

"Hard on the outside, m'Lord," I heard him chuckle, "But surprisingly soft on the inside."

All of the Death Eaters burst into evil laughter, sending chills through my veins. I blocked the images that immediately came to my head and the sounds that accompanied them, those memories that made me want to kill myself. But I didn't cry, nor did I show fear. I just stared, defiantly, into his eyes.

"You will excuse me, Maggie Johnson," Voldemort paused, "But I must confess that Potter is a bit more pressing of an issue for me. One moment." He stood up and walked back to Harry, who hadn't moved an inch since revealing himself.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort murmured, "The boy who lived."

I watched, unable to say anything as Bellatrix's fingers dug into my scalp.

Voldemort raised his wand and titled his head curiously, before pointing it surely at Harry, and whispering "Avada Kedavra." A burst of green light shot forward and hit Harry, sending him back on his back. But, at the same moment, Voldemort was also thrown backward, crumpling into a heap. Everyone but Bellatrix rushed forward to his aid, and Bellatrix roared in fury at being unable to do the same. They all whispered upon approaching him, circling him delicately.

I wanted to groan desperately when he finally sat up, looking around in confusion before standing up. Bellatrix gasped from the side as if she were speaking to a lover, whispering "My Lord" on instant replay. It made me sick. She didn't love him, certainly not in a comparable manner to the way I felt for Neville.

"That will do," Voldemort replied tersely.

"My Lord, let me-" she whispered, clearly still torn between her current duty and her desire.

"Stay where you are," Voldemort answered coldly, "The boy... Is he dead?"

I didn't sob, though suddenly I could only picture Ginny's reaction. Poor, poor Ginny, losing her brother, her best friend, and her lover, all in one day.

"You," Voldemort pointed his wand and shot a curse at a blonde woman, who shrieked in pain. "Examine him. Tell me whether he is dead," Voldemort ordered.

The woman walked over to Harry's corpse and felt around, pausing for a moment. I thought of Neville, poor Neville, who would be so, so devastated.

"He is dead!" the woman proclaimed, standing up triumphantly. I tried my hardest, but a single tear fell down my cheek. All the Death Eaters shouted and yelled in triumph.

"You see?" Voldemort screeched happily over the celebration, "Harry Potter is dead by my hand, and no man alive can threaten me now! Watch! _Crucio!_" And Harry was lifted into the air, thrown about in it once, twice, three times, but didn't scream or shout or writhe. He had to be dead.

Voldemort lowered him to the ground with a gleam in his eyes and walked back to me. Bellatrix cackled happily.

"You," he pointed his wand at me again, "You. How do you perform magic without a wand?"

I shook my head, keeping my lips tightly closed, my fists clenched. Bellatrix pulled at my hair and tears leaked from my eyes, but I said nothing. I shivered as he reached with his spindly fingers and pulled up my dragon necklace from underneath my shirt; his fingers tracing my collar and making me want to throw up. He was so effing cold he could have been dead.

"What's this?" he examined it suspiciously, "It looks like the beast that appeared on the grounds. Are you connected with it too?"

I swallowed but did not meet his eyes again, for fear that he would see the shadow of a dragon flying past my own. The dragon instinct wouldn't kick in, for I wasn't fighting, and so I was extraordinarily vulnerable.

"I saw her riding atop it, my Lord," I heard Alecto laugh, "I saw 'er, flying round with that Longbottom boy."

"Ah yes," Voldemort paused, "The two who have been giving you the most trouble. I remember." He looked at my necklace curiously for another moment, "So you know how to perform magic without a wand, and how to tame dragons."

I wanted to spit at him. Dragons could _not_ be tamed.

"You're worth keeping alive, Maggie Johnson," Voldemort whispered, "But maybe this will loosen your tongue. Bellatrix," he nodded to my jail keeper. Bellatrix's wand pointed at my neck, and she whispered delicately, "Crucio."

_Oh my f***ing God!_ I screamed in my head, but audibly I screamed nonsensical words. I wrenched myself from her grip in my writhing and felt some of my hair pull out and her nails scratch across my face, blood dripping from the wounds, but I didn't pay much attention to that. This was worse than any curse Alecto had cast on me. I was _dying_. Oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God. Just kill me now, just kill me now, just _kill me now God dammit I don't want to live anymore! KILL ME!_ _JUST LET ME DIE! JUST LET ME GO I PROMISE TO LEAVE YOU ALONE I WANT TO DIE! KILL ME! KILL ME AND I'LL NEVER COME BACK, I'LL NEVER RETURN TO NEVILLE EVEN THOUGH THAT WOULD PROBABLY KILL ME, I'LL NEVER RUIN YOUR REGIME OR CHALLENGE YOUR IDEAS AGAIN JUST **LET ME DIE! LET ME DIE! LET ME DIE!**_****

I finally managed to form words through the pain and screamed this, grabbing the ground as my entire body twitched and writhed. The curse stopped, and all the Death Eaters around started laughing.

"Still not talking?" Voldemort asked quietly, a deadly tone in his voice. I looked up at him, tears and blood on my face, and shook my head.

"Shame," Voldemort paused, "It would have been so much easier to just take your secrets and send you back home. Or kill you, whichever satisfied my fancy, though, based on past experience, I'd count on the latter Maggie Johnson. I'll have to continue this myself after we declare victory at the castle."

"My lord," I heard Amycus' hateful voice call out, "My Lord, I have an idea, if you'd just…"

"What, Amycus?" Voldemort answered stiffly, his voice annoyed.

"She's close to the boy," he spat, "To the Longbottom boy. And he to her. Perhaps he'd surrender if he saw her tortured under Bellatrix…"

"It would be fitting," Bellatrix cackled happily, "I tortured his parents into insanity and now his girlfriend!"

I wanted to kill her.

"And perhaps, by torturing Longbottom, she will talk to spare his life," Amycus finished.

"Thank you, Amycus. That is precisely what we'll do," Voldemort paused, "Unless, you want to change your mind? Spare his life?"

I closed my eyes tightly, realizing that he'd just kill Neville anyway, and shook my head. My heart pounded loudly in my ears and I thought back to less than an hour ago, when Neville had talked of marriage and living together and going on a proper date. Back when all these things seemed possible and happy and so, so sure.

"Really?" Bellatrix laughed evily, pulling me back to her and putting her knife under my throat, "You sure? Are you sure you could do that to poor little Neville Longbottom, whom you fell in love with? Rather poor choice, he's fat, isn't he?"

"A braver and better wizard than you, or Voldy, could hope to be in your dreams," I hissed, "A braver and better man."

Bellatrix laughed but Voldemort looked stricken.

"What did you just call me, half-blood?" Voldemort hissed.

"Voldy," I spat back defiantly, "Do you ever realize how _bloody stupid_ Voldemort sounds?"

Voldemort's nonexistent eyebrows narrowed.

"Voldemort. Sounds like the name of a wart, or some sort of toad. Guess that's all you are in the end. Slimy and cold and smelly," I wrinkled my nose, "Gross. A bit of mold on the world. Harry Potter might be dead, but someone will come around to clean up the filth, don't you worry. I don't know who," _probably Neville,_ I thought proudly, _who has taken up his mantle before_, "But he, or she, will make you wish you had Harry Potter on the other end of that wand."

"Are you sure about that, filthy half-blood?" Voldemort whispered dangerously.

"Voldy," I laughed cheerfully, "I'm only sure of a few things in life. That's one of them. By the way," I paused, "What do you think of the name Voldy-Pants? I think it suits your silliness perfectly."

"Crucio," Voldemort cast darkly. I expected to start screaming, but nothing hurt. Nothing at all. I frowned as I fell to the ground, writhing as if I was being thrown about, but there was no pain. I pressed my lips together, puzzlement apparently evident on my face, as he stopped.

"Is that all you got?" I laughed. Bellatrix wrenched me backward and held her knife to my neck, beginning to cut into it while whispering into my ear threateningly, "How _dare you talk to the Dark Lord _that way! You'll _wish_ he had killed you! You'll _wish_!"

"That's enough, Bellatrix," Voldemort answered lazily, though you could hear from his voice that he was shocked, "We must go back to the castle. Harry's protectors are waiting."

Bellatrix removed the knife and I felt my neck sting painfully. She wrenched me upwards by my hair, looking at me with pure hatred. I spit in her face and she screamed in anger, reaching over and scratching across from one side of my face, over my nose, to the other side with her knife. I felt my eyes narrow, but I ignored the pain and the beads of blood I could see under my eyes.

"We want her alive, Bellatrix," Voldemort snapped, "Bring her along."

He turned to Hagrid, who was tied up to the tree, and let him free. Hagrid stumbled to the ground, his eyes filled with terror and sadness.

"You carry him," Voldemort ordered, "He will be nice and visible in your arms, will he not? Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. And the glasses – put on the glasses – he must be recognizable – "

I watched as Hagrid lumbered towards Harry and picked him up gingerly, cradling him in his arms, while a Death Eater came and smashed the glasses back on his face. Everyone turned, Bellatrix practically ripping my hair out again, towards the castle.

"Move," Voldemort ordered, and we marched on. I still didn't open my mind link to Thailus.

He would find out soon enough. I didn't want to see his face or Neville's. I didn't want to see any face again, all I wanted to do was die.

AN: Wow, that chapter was darker than I intended. Sorry for killing off Luna, I needed a character death that would matter to Maggie and none of the ones Jo provides, bless her, work. Next chapter is oodles of fun, though, so get excited! PLEASE REVIEW! Man, I got some reviews this evening and it made my day. I LOVE THEM! I really want more! I like hearing what people think of the story, it encourages me and challenges me to do better each chapter! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Seriously… - puppy dog face again with a pitiful voice to match going "Yay reviews! Yay reviews!" -


	16. Ch 15: Finish

Ch. 15 Finish

_The secret side of me, I never let you see_

_I keep it caged but I can't control it_

_So stay away from me, the beast is ugly_

_I feel the rage and I just can't hold it_

_It's scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls_

_It comes awake and I can't control it_

_Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head_

_Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?_

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin_

_I must confess that I feel like a monster_

_~ Monster by Skillet_

We stopped in front of the castle, and I closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I needed to find my Zen, a place where I would no longer be in danger. I needed a place where I was not currently being held hostage by Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort, where I was safe.

"Harry Potter is dead." Voldemort told the castle, his voice magnified magically. I felt another tear escape my eye. "He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself…"

"LIES!" I screamed loudly, loud enough for Voldemort's wand to catch it and for it to be magnified across the grounds, "HE WAS DOING IT TO SAVE YOU ALL-"

"Silence," Voldemort cast lazily on me, and I could tell from his gaze that I wouldn't live long if I didn't tell him about Hand Magic, "We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every number of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

Silence prevailed over the grounds. I opened up my mind to Thailus so he would know what was going on, though fully aware that the rage that entered his soul would-

Yup, there it was.

The roar.

It reverberated across the grounds and over the forest, hitting our ears like a bomb, causing many of the Death Eaters to cry out and cover their ears in pain. I smiled glumly as Thailus continued to roar and roar in pain and fear and anger. Serves them  
right, bastards.

"SILENCE!" Voldemort screamed, but to no avail. Thailus didn't answer to any undead monster.

"Tell your beast to be quiet," Voldemort ordered. I looked up at him in amusement.

"He doesn't take my orders, Voldy," I rolled my eyes; "He does what he likes."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed and, despite the continued roar of Thailus, ordered, "Come." Hagrid sobbed with Harry in his arms and I limped along, suddenly filled with pride at my dragon's voice and held my head up high despite Bellatrix's knife and hold on me. She sneered at me and began hissing insults into my ear, but I laughed loudly in hers and continued walking proudly.

"Stop," Voldemort ordered, and we all halted. The Death Eaters spread out in a line facing the open front doors of the school. Dawn was approaching and light was beginning to flood the grounds. I swallowed, knowing they were about to come out of the doors.

"NO!" screamed, not anyone I would have immediately expected, but Professor McGonagall. Her scream sent chills through me and I watched her, tears now streaming down my face at the sight of her despair. Bellatrix laughed loudly and I spit on her again. She merely dug her knife a little deeper into my throat and I winced, closing my eyes tightly.

Voldemort stroked his stupid snake's head as it hung around his shoulders, and more people came running out. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny screamed, "No!" "_No!_" "Harry! HARRY!" and I watched hopelessly as Ginny's face contorted in the most desperate expression I had ever seen in my life. The sound of everyone's voices broke my heart and I wanted to free myself and save everyone, tell everyone it would be OK, even though it clearly wouldn't be. I was going to die, Neville was going to die, Ginny and Ron and Hermione and Minerva and Thailus and _everyone would die_…

"SILENCE!" Voldemort ordered and waved his wand over the crowd, them falling instantly silent. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet where he belongs!"

Hagrid set Harry's corpse in front of Voldemort's feet, tears still streaming into his shaggy beard. I closed my eyes and tried to not cry and failed. I couldn't see Thailus anywhere, but I knew he was waiting in the castle for the ideal time to strike. Bless him, he still thought we had a chance.

Voldemort insulted Harry, but my thoughts were flooded with Thailus': _It isn't over until it's over. I'm getting you out. I promise_.

_They'll see you before you get here_, I countered.

_Watch me_, Thailus promised, _I can be sneaky._ _I'm blocking you out of my thoughts so you won't give anything away with your facial expression._

I opened my eyes when I heard a violent scuffle. Many people shouted, "No!" and "Stay back!" I watched, terrified, as someone came through the crowd- oh shit.

Neville.

Why had he come running into Voldemort's trap? Oh God, no, Neville…

Although he was attacking Voldemort, his eyes never left my face. He looked at me in terror, his eyes lost and watery. Voldemort disarmed him, his wand flying through the air and into Voldemort's hands. I growled, wanting to charge at Voldemort and kill him just for that. He fell to the ground on his knees, still looking at me. I didn't want to look at Neville, though, who must have been dying inside at the sight of me bloody, white-faced, newly scarred, and in Bellatrix Lestrange's hands.

Of all the people to be in charge of holding me down, really, did it _have_ to be her?

But I watched him anyway. With our seconds numbered as they must have been, could I really have looked at anyone else?

"And who is this?" Voldemort hissed, "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?" Voldemort followed his gaze, and a smile that I wanted to curse off his ugly face appeared.

"Ah," Voldemort laughed quietly, "You must be the Longbottom boy."

Neville didn't answer, only looked like he wanted to run forward to me, grab me, and run. I wanted to run forward and wipe that horrible, awful expression of terror from his face. I smiled weakly at him and his face only grew in despair.

"You are a pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?" Voldemort asked Neville quietly. Neville stood up in front of him, his hands clenched.

Still looking at me, Neville whispered, "So what if I am?"

"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

I wanted to kill him. I really, really wanted to kill Voldemort.

"I'll join you when hell freezes over," Neville replied icily.

"DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY!" I screamed, and the crowd erupted into a cheer that Voldemort's silencing charm couldn't contain. The fact made me grin uncontrollably.

"Will this," Voldemort nodded at Bellatrix, "Change your mind?"

She kicked me forward into the no-man's land where Neville was standing and I fell on my face, grunting in pain. I knew what was going to happen before it did.

"Crucio," Bellatrix cackled.

_Oh f***idy f*** f***_, I thought in pain, _Oh my God not again today WHY THE HELL DO YOU ALWAYS DO THIS TO ME DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE OR WHAT? THIS IS THE SECOND MOTHER F***ING TIME TODAY! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! KILL ME NOW! OH MY GOD KILL ME NOW! I'D RATHER DIE THAN HAVE NEVILLE WATCH ME UNDER THIS CURSE OH MY GOD DON'T DO THIS TO NEVILLE **PLEASE** DON'T DO THIS TO NEVILLE OH GOD NOT NEVILLE HE CAN'T WATCH THIS HAPPEN TO ME OH PLEASE GOD STOP, OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE JUST STOP FOR HIM DON'T DO THIS TO HIM I AM NOT ASKING FOR ME AHH GOD STOP STOP STOP!_ I both thought this and screamed it, clutching my head and my knees and curling up into a ball, before screaming nonsensically in pain.

Neville must have run forward and took me into his arms, holding me steady while I screamed and writhed in pain. I don't know how long it went on, but I could feel the pain ebbing away as my mind slowly blocked it out. So _this_ is what it feels like to go crazy, to live inside your own head…

"That's enough, Bellatrix," and it was over. I gasped for breath, clutching at Neville's shirt, as he held me tightly to him.

"No, no, no, please, not again, not Maggie, please…" he wept into my hair. I looked at him, trying to be coherent, wondering where the _hell_ Thailus was.

"Did that change your mind, Neville Longbottom?" Voldemort asked curiously, "If you join me, you and your… friend… will be safe."

Neville swallowed and looked at me. I reached out and gently touched his face before shaking my head. He had to understand, my safety was _not_ worth it. Nor was his.

"Never," Neville repeated.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed, "Very well. If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. Johnson," he turned to me, "Maybe this will show you what happens to those who don't give me what I want."

I swallowed, looking at Neville in fear. I found myself unable to speak, my voice hoarse from screaming, but still lucid in my mind. I wasn't crazy… I don't think…

Voldemort waved his wand and something came crashing from the school: a well-worn, beaten brown wizard's hat.

"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," Voldemort declared, "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"

He pointed his wand at Neville, and he was forced away from me. I cried out, still weak and unable to move as I fell to the ground, needing the warmth of his grasp and love of his arms back. I felt tears pool over my eyes as he forced the hat onto Neville's head so that it slipped down below his eyes. How _dare_ he make it so I would never see Neville's eyes again… how dare he…

Everyone was silent.

There was no sound of Thailus.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," Voldemort explained coolly. And I watched, terrified and broken, as with a flick of his wand the Sorting Hat burst into flames.

"NO!" I screamed, my voice suddenly working again, "NO! PLEASE, NO!"

Everyone was screaming, and Neville, my wonderful Neville, was on fire, and I couldn't move because of the lingering effects of the curse, and…

Thailus appeared from the castle, roaring. Grawp appeared from the side, screaming "HAGGER!" and Voldemort's giants replied angrily, running at him like wild dragons at an intruder. The earth shook as Thailus flew over the castle and blew fire into the air, coming towards us at record speeds.

But that didn't even distract me. I was much too busy watching Neville and wondering how in hell I was going to save him.

I was sent into shock as he suddenly broke free of the body-bind curse and the hat fell off of him, and he pulled from the depths of the hat something silver, rubied, and long- a sword. A huge effing sword.

He turned around, holding the sword like an _expert_, and sliced it through the air in one fluid motion. In that one motion, it came down over the head of that ugly snake and the head flew off, Voldemort's scream filling the air, and then Thailus dove out of nowhere and picked me up in one claw and Neville up in another before Voldemort could even cast a curse.

Thailus expertly transferred Neville to his back without scratching himself on the sword and me without hurting me afterwards, zooming off into the sky. I collapsed, relieved, onto his back.

"Cutting it kind of close, aren't we?" I sighed, but I really wasn't mad. I turned to Neville and he grabbed my face in his hands and kissed me, the sword loosely sitting on Thailus' back.

"Stop," Neville kissed me, "Scaring," he kissed me again, "Me," a kiss, "Like," another kiss, "That," and he kissed me furiously, holding me tightly in his arms.

"Keep in mind, you two, that you're sitting on a dragon's back. Not some inanimate object that doesn't feel uncomfortable when, say, creatures get frisky while using them as a platform. Just, something to keep in mind," Thailus roared, turning around.

"How are you feeling? Can you move? How's your head? Do you feel sick? Can you speak properly, can…" I cut Neville off with a kiss.

"I'm fine," I whispered, "Just… gonna stick to Thailus' back for now if that's alright."

"Fine with me," Neville paused, "I've got this sword thing that I can fight with from his back."

"This should be interesting," Thailus commented as he dived down into the crowd of fighters. Neville leaned over his back, slicing through the air with the sword, cutting of the head of one of the Death Eaters. I whooped in appreciation as my strength slowly returned to me and I sat up properly on Thailus' back.

"You doing OK sweetheart?" Neville asked casually as he stabbed another Death Eater en route, grabbing the Death Eater's wand as it flew in the air.

"Pretty good, I think Thailus and I are going to do our double trouble act now," I added lightly.

"OK," Neville nodded as Thailus landed in the crowd, "I'll be nearby." I kissed him and slid off of Thailus' back, raising my wand and my hand and grinning at Thailus.

"Let's do this," I nodded, smiling wickedly. He roared and we charged at the nearest Death Eater, who just so happened to be a huge blonde Death Eater with a gruesome sneer on his face. I roared in fury and felt the dragon-mode kick in.

It's a curious bit of magic, in the end. My veins felt like they contained fire, my fingernails now felt like claws, and I growled and roared instead of talking. My wand performed magic practically on its own as I _felt_ the incantation, too wild to say any words.

It made you a natural at silent spells, is what I'm getting at.

I rushed forward and jumped onto the Death Eater, roaring and clawing at his face. He gasped in pain and I sent him backwards, kicking him and forcing him onto his back. I then sent a burst of damaging energy into his chest and he crumpled, dead.

I spit in his face and turned, screaming at all I could see and then, instinctually, roaring and breathing a spurt of fire everywhere. People started screaming and jumping back; Thailus took off into the air to go fight giants. I ran through the flames, untouched like a dragon would be, and jumped through the air to land on another Death Eater's back. I used Hand Magic like a knife and slit his throat, him falling onto his stomach as I jumped up and sneered at a Death Eater who was watching me in shock. I flicked my wand, not using Avada Kedavra or anything like that, just snapping his jugular in half.

I ran forward, looking for anyone I could assist in the chaos. I then saw the one person I never wanted to see again- well, one of them.

Alecto Carrow.

I ran forward to her, my wand raised and my face contorted into a sneer. She sneered in return.

"What do you want, filthy half-blood? Do you want me to just kill you now, like you begged before?" Alecto laughed.

I cursed her but she blocked it, and we entered the duel. Curse after curse went back and forth between us, snapping in the air. I sneered at her, trying to do what I had done to the last Death Eater, but unable to get past her defenses. But then-

Thailus' tale came out of _nowhere _and literally smashed her into the ground, crushing her. He then took off into the air without saying a word.

I turned and ran through the fray and saw Neville, fighting Amycus. I raised my wand, coming forward with a growl to assist him, but I didn't have to- suddenly, Neville shot a curse and Amycus crumpled to the ground. Neville spat on him and turned, seeing me, and grinned.

"Told you I'd kill him," he winked and ran off to assist Ron. I laughed and turned to see Ginny and Hermione fighting none other than the bitch I hated the most, Bellatrix Lestrange. I joined them, narrowing my eyes in distaste, shooting curse after curse at her.

Bellatrix, however, was more aware and a better fighter than even Alecto had been. She shot a curse, green as Emralda's scales, right at Ginny, who evaded it by an inch. I began to fear for her life, realizing I couldn't handle losing _another_ friend today, and fought harder.

"NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" I looked in shock to see Molly Weasley running forward, angry, throwing off her cloak. I sort of cheered for her in my head. Bellatrix turned to her new opponent, ignoring the three of us.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Mrs. Weasley screamed at us and she entered the duel. Ginny held onto both my and Hermione's arms tightly as the two fought desperately, the air filled with snaps and cracks of magic. I swallowed down my dragon instinct to attack Bellatrix and rip out her throat, though it was incredibly tempting, simply because Molly seemed to be doing rather OK on her own.

"No!" Mrs. Weasley shouted at a group of students who had come to help her, "Get back! _Get back! _She is mine!"

The entire hall was now either watching Bellatrix and Molly, or Voldy and the three who were fighting him: McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley.

"What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" Bellatrix laughed, "When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?"

"You - Will - Never - Touch - Our - Children - Again!" Molly screamed. I saw it happen in slow motion: Bellatrix laughed, Molly shot a curse, it hit Bellatrix in the chest, and she crumpled to the floor, dead.

I turned and hissed. The bloodlust was too strong; I _had_ to fight Voldy. I jumped in, my wand out, my sight going red. I vaguely heard Neville shout in protest but I ignored it, shooting curse after curse at the awful snake man. I wanted to dive at him and claw out his eyes, I wanted to bite him and blow fire into his face, I wanted-

His curse hit all four of us and I fell onto my ass, and watched in horror as he turned on Molly Weasley.

Everything changed.

A voice came out of nowhere, screaming "_Protego!_" and a shield erupted between Molly and Voldemort. And I watched, amazed, as Harry Potter pulled off his Invisibility Cloak and stood there, alive and holding a wand out at Voldemort.

"HE'S ALIVE!" people started screaming, others screamed, "HARRY!" But soon it all fell silent. This would be it, for real this time.

"I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry ordered, and I could have sworn his gaze fell on me for a particularly long amount of time. I stifled the bloodlust as he continued, "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

Voldemort hissed, "Potter doesn't mean that. That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"

"Nobody," Harry answered seriously, "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good..."

"One of us?" I almost felt the bloodlust return at Voldy's tone of voice, "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

"Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?" Harry asked, "Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?" they were circling each other dangerously, like dogs vicious round a carcass.

"_Accidents_!" screamed Voldemort, "Accident and chance and the fact that you crouched and sniffles behind the skirts of greater men and women, and permitted me to kill them for you!"

"You won't be killing anyone else tonight," Harry had a deadly tone to his voice, "You won't be able to kill any of them ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you from hurting these people-"

"But you did not!"

"-I meant to, and that's what did it. I've done what my mother did. They're protected from you. Haven't you noticed how none of the spells you put on them are binding? You can't torture them. You can't touch them. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?"

"_You dare_-"

"Yes, I dare," Harry commented lightly, "I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. I know lots of important things that you don't. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?"

Voldemort sneered, "Is it love again? Dumbledore's favorite solution, _love,_ which he claimed conquered death, though live did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? _Love_, which did not prevent me stamping out your Mudblood mother like a cockroach, Potter- and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you dying now when I strike?"

"Just one thing," Harry shrugged.

"If it is not love that will save you this time, you must believe that you have magic that I do not, or else a weapon more powerful than mine?"

"I believe both," Harry smiled slightly and Voldemort looked shocked.

"You think _you _know more magic than I do?" Voldemort laughed, "Than _I_, than Lord Voldemort, who has performed magic that Dumbledore himself never dreamed of?"

"Oh, he dreamed of it," Harry chuckled, "but he knew more than you, knew enough not to do what you've done."

"You mean he was weak!" Voldemort screamed, "Too weak to dare, too weak to take what might have been his, what will be mine!"

"No, he was cleverer than you," Harry said, "A better wizard, a better man."

"I brought about the death of Albus Dumbledore!"

"You thought you did, but you were wrong."

Voldemort hissed, "_Dumbledore is dead!_" Harry watched him like a spoiled child as Voldemort continued, "His body decays in the marble tomb in the grounds of this castle, I have seen it, Potter, and he will not return!"

"Yes, Dumbledore's dead," Harry paused, "but you didn't have him killed. He chose his own manner of dying, chose it months before he died, arranged the whole thing with the man you thought was your servant."

"What childish dream is this?"

"Severus Snape wasn't yours," Harry declared, "Snape was Dumbledore's, Dumbledore's from the moment you started hunting down my mother. And you never realized it, because of the thing you can't understand. You never saw Snape cast a Patronus, did you, Riddle? Snape's patronus was a doe, the same as my mother's, because he loved her for nearly all of his life, from the time when they were children. You should have realized, he asked you to spare her life, didn't he?"

A murmur went through the crowd and both McGonagall and Ginny, and probably Neville wherever he was and Seamus, looked at me. I swallowed and ignored this.

"He desired her, that was all," Voldemort sneered, "but when she had gone, he agreed that there were other women, and of purer blood, worthier of him-"

"Of course he told you that," Harry sighed, "but he was Dumbledore's spy from the moment you threatened her, and he's been working against you ever since! Dumbledore was already dying when Snape finished him! And he's been protecting the students of Hogwarts this whole year, directly and indirectly- or do you think Maggie Johnson joined Dumbledore's Army initially by choice?" I felt a chill go through me as hundreds of eyes fell on me.

"It matters not!" Voldemort shrieked, "It matters not whether Snape was mine or Dumbledore's, or what petty obstacles they tried to put in my path! I crushed them as I crushed your mother, Snape's supposed great _love!_ Oh, but it all makes sense, Potter, and in ways you do not understand! Dumbledore was trying to keep the Elder Wand from me! He intended that Snape should be the true master of the wand! But I got there ahead of you, little boy- I reached the wand before you could get your hands in it, I understood the truth before you caught up. I killed Severus Snape three hours ago," I felt a tear roll down my cheek, "and the Elder Wand, the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny is truly mine! Dumbledore's last plan went wrong, Harry Potter!"

"Yeah, it did," Harry shrugged, "You're right. But before you try to kill me, I'd advise you to think about what you've done... Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle..."

"What is this?" Voldemort asked, shocked.

"It's your one last chance, it's all you've got left... I've seen what you'll be otherwise... Be a man... Try for some remorse..."

"You dare-?"

"Yes, I dare," Harry rolled his eyes, "because Dumbledore's last plan hadn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle. The wand still isn't working properly for you because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore."

"He killed-"

"Aren't you listening? _Snape never beat Dumbledore!_ Dumbledore's death was planned between them! Dumbledore intense to die undefeated, the wands last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him!"

"But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!" Voldemort almost chortled, "I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes! Its power is mine!"

"You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough! Holding it, using it, doesn't make it really yours. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? _The wand chooses the wizard..._ The Elder wand recognized a new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will, never realizing exactly what had had done, or that the world's most dangerous wand had given him its allegiance... The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

Voldemort shocked. I fought back a laugh.

"But what does it matter?" he commented softly, "Even if you're right, Potter, it makes no difference to you and me. You no longer have the Phoenix wand; we duel on skill alone... And after I have killed you, I can attend to Draco Malfoy..."

"But you're too late," Harry shook his head, "You've missed your chance. I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I toon this wand from him."

I realized in that instant what he was getting at- and realized how lucky Harry was that Neville's encounter with Malfoy happened, most definitely, after his.

"So it all comes down to this, doesn't it?" whispered Hardy, "Does the wand in your hand know it's last master was Disarmed? Because if it does... I am the true master of the Elder Wand."

Silence, for a moment. And then, all at once-

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

_"Expelliarmus!" _

Green met red, Voldemort's wand flew into the air, and Harry reached out and caught it as Voldemort fell, eyes rolling upward, down to the ground to be dead at last.

Silence again.

Then Thailus roared, flames spurting up into the sky. I stumbled to my feet and sprinted forward, towards Harry, grabbing hold of his arm and cheering in his ear, overcome with joy. I wasn't alone by any stretch of the imagination; Ron and Hermione had their arms around him, Ginny had her head in his shoulder, and any number of people were trying to hug him, touch some part of him.

I backed out of the crowd and loomed around wildly for the only person I wanted to see, but he saw me first. I shrieked in surprise as I was flung into the air and he spun me around, and I tuned to look at him and our faces met in unfathomable joy. I flipped in his arms and looked down at him, holding his face in between my hands. He beamed up at me and I leaned down to kiss him, hitching my legs up around his stomach to keep myself supported. I then broke away from him and gently wiped the hair, rather bloody, away from his eyes.

"I love you, Neville Longbottom," I breathed. He chuckled and rested his forehead at the base of my neck.

"I bloody love you, Maggie Johnson," he responded, then hoisted me up onto his back. I shrieked, but he refused to set me down, spinning us around and laughing with joy.

"NEVILLE!" I screamed, laughing, "Please let me down!"

"Why?" he chortled, resting his head against my side.

"I want to kiss you properly you twit!" I giggled. That worked; he set me down and I pulled him in for a proper kiss, his arms on my waist and my hands on his elbows as I leaned into him. He kissed me back, and I kissed him again, and everything grew exceptionally heated. I actually felt a little dizzy, but it had been a _very_ long day.

"Ahem," a voice called out, though it was amused. I broke apart from him slowly and pressed my forehead to his briefly before turning to Augusta Longbottom, who watched us in amusement.

"Sorry for not introducing you two properly before, I was rather busy," Neville apologized breathlessly, "Maggie, this is my grandmother, but you know I call her Gran. Gran, this is my fiancée," I felt my heart do a weird little flippy thing, "Maggie Johnson."

Mrs. Longbottom walked up to me and gave me a hug, which was surprising, because Neville didn't give me the impression that she did the whole hugging thing.

"I am very, very glad you came to America, and that Severus Snape asked you to take care of Dumbledore's Army, and that you grew close to my grandson," she whispered in my ear, "You make him happier than anyone ever has, and he deserves some happiness."

I felt tears come to my eyes as I pulled back from her and nodded, "My pleasure, ma'am."

"Call me Gran," she smiled, "I'm going to go kiss Aberforth Dumbledore now, because even us old girls need a little fun. Look after her, and wipe that blood off your face," Gran pointed to Neville's forehead before walking away. I laughed breathlessly and turned back to Neville and kissed him again.

He moaned slightly before pulling back from me, "Care to tell me the story about Snape? I promise I'm not mad or anything…"

I laughed, "You sure?"

He rolled his eyes, "The number of times you helped the DA, the number of things you gave up for it, the fact that you've sealed your fate with mine and almost died for the cause, the fact that _Harry_ of all people thinks, no, knows that Snape was on our side, basically erases all doubt from my mind that he was good, and that you were good in doing things for him."

"The only thing I really did for him was look out for the DA, and made sure you guys got caught more by him or the other teachers rather than the Carrows," I shrugged, "Beyond that, I mainly did my own thing."

Neville nodded and kissed me again briefly before pulling back, "So how'd you get that limp after chasing after him before?"

"I asked him to injure me to keep up the act," I paused, "It all seems silly now, ah well," I felt tears come to my eyes. Neville wiped them away with kisses as I tried to control myself.

"I can't believe he died with the bulk of the universe believing him to be evil," I whispered hoarsely.

"He's avenged now," Neville soothed softly, "It's all going to be OK, now."

I nodded and kissed him again, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and hanging my hands off his back. He kissed me furiously, and I sort of felt like calling Thailus to take us somewhere far away just for a little while-

"Maggie, Neville," a voice interrupted. I was very annoyed by this and I kept kissing Neville.

"Neville, Maggie," the voice repeated. I wanted to kick her very, very much.

"Look, you two, there's plenty of time for that later, we still have a lot of work to do- oh forget it," Minerva sighed, "I'll be back. Get it out of your system."

I moaned slightly into his mouth and curled up into him, everything within me on fire, despite my exhaustion, despite my utter grief, despite my need to just sleep and relax and move on, the only thing I felt I needed right then was his-

"Look, you two, you're making a bloody scene, yeah?" Seamus laughed. Neville finally pulled back from me and I turned to glare at Seamus, who was leaning on a makeshift crutch.

"Poppy hasn't got time to fix me up yet, but Minerva was complaining about you two snogging like… well, like animals, not going to lie that's what she said… so I decided I'd come over here and break you two up with force if necessary, sorry about that," Seamus shrugged. I rolled my eyes but separated fully from Neville, reaching out to gently grab his hand.

"We need to clean up the bodies still lying about…" Seamus frowned, "I can't do anything and you two are basically OK. Don't try to act like you aren't, no one can snog that vigorously without being basically OK."

Neville chuckled softly and we went out to go help clean up. My heart was so filled with joy I felt like I would float far, far away.

It was over, and we were alive, and _everything would be OK_.

AN: Hahahahaha. Hahahahaha. OK I'm done. Um, so this was originally going to be a three part series, and in a way it is, I'm just going to have them all be under the same story and have it be Part One, Part Two, Part Three because it makes my life a little bit easier, also, Part Two is practically not Harry Potter fanfiction it's so direlated. REVIEW! PLEASE! PLEASE! God I need reviews… Last chapter was disappointingly unreviewed. Sadface. So review, for me, the girl who's giving you a 54 chapter story. Seriously. Counting epilogues and prologues. So review. Thanks!


	17. Ch 16: Leave

Ch. 16 Leave

_In this farewell_

_There's no blood_

_There's no alibi_

_'Cause I've drawn regret_

_From the truth_

_Of a thousand lies_

_So let mercy come_

_And wash away_

_What I've done_

_I'll face myself_

_To cross out what I've become_

_Erase myself_

_And let go of what I've done_

_~What I've Done by Linkin Park_

Neville's Gran lived in a very, very small house, but it was cozy.

We came there after the initial celebrations ended, though we basically were apparating to Hogwarts every day to help clean up and for even more celebrations. His Gran didn't even seem to mind that we stayed in the same room, though I'm sure she would have under different circumstances or if I wasn't officially going to marry him.

The first day we stayed there, Neville took me by the hand to show me around the place where he grew up, pointing out all the plants and the nature that surrounded the house. No wonder he fell in love with Herbology, anyone could enjoy the majesty of plants in that place. The sun was shining on our faces and I heard birds chirping happily, making me feel light as a feather with joy.

That was so uncharacteristic of me.

"And there," Neville pointed with his free hand, the other linked tightly with mine, "Is where my Great Uncle Algie dropped me out the second story window to see if I was a wizard, and I bounced. He gave me Trevor after that."

I giggled and nodded, resting my head on his shoulder, "No one doubts you're a wizard now."

Neville rolled his eyes, "Just needed a bit of a push I expect. Do you have any funny childhood stories?"

"Nah," I paused, "Well, when Thailus and I met is a pretty funny story, but beyond that I was exceptionally ordinary, if extraordinarily lippy."

"I can imagine," Neville grinned and kissed the top of my head as we walked along through the garden again.

"Seriously. My dad was always yelling at me for talking out of turn, and being smart with my elders, and fighting back if I felt I was being wronged," I paused, "I haven't really changed much, have I?"

"No," Neville chuckled, shaking his head, "But tell me the story about Thailus."

"Well, by dragon standards he was only a teenager, twenty years old… I guess that is almost a teenager, but like that's a _young_ teenager. Him and Emralda could be considered teen parents, but the dragon world is very different than ours," I paused, "Anywho, and I was eight. So I was going to the Rockies with mum and dad and Elena, we were camping, and mum knew I had always been interested in being a rider even though dad was so firmly against it. And I was running through the mountains because I had never known the meaning of a keep-out sign…"

Neville laughed loudly and squeezed my hand tighter.

"And I came across a big dragon nesting ground, you know, no big deal. None of them really cared, wizards were always coming in there. But I got really excited and I skipped forward to look at some of the hatchlings because baby dragons are _really, really cute_, and I fell off the edge. Rather weird for me, I'm usually good at mountain climbing," I shrugged. Neville rolled his eyes and kissed the top of my head.

"Anywho, so I then was falling down into the huge canyon below and all the dragons were screaming and stuff because they didn't want to see some eight year old kid smash on the rocks below, but unfortunately they couldn't really catch up to me cause of that whole acceleration of gravity thing…"

Neville breathed in sharply and squeezed my hand tighter, "Imagine…"

"I'm fine, and I'm here," I grinned, "Anywho, so I'm falling down and suddenly I land on this really spiky, prickly thing. And I'm like shocked, because I was expecting to die, no big deal. And Thailus looks behind to see me and starts screaming, because he had anthropophobia…"

"Wait _what_?" Neville asked.

"Fear of human beings," I beamed, "It's not uncommon, especially amongst dragons. So I'm trying to calm him down as he's screaming his head off, going 'GET THIS NAKED MOLE RAT OFF OF ME ALREADY!' And he actually tries to shake me off of his back…"

"That's not a funny story, it sounds terrifying," Neville frowned.

"No, it's funny now because we see it as destiny basically," I laughed, "So it took him a while to calm down as I'm trying to sooth him into just bringing me back to camp, and I'm joking around and Thailus already had a sense of humor, which is _really really rare _in dragons, so he's laughing hysterically and he brings me back. And then he comes back the next day cause I left my kiddie wand on his back and he stays for, basically, forever because I'm the only person he's met with a sense of humor besides his mom, who was dead by then so he'd always be cracking jokes and no one would be laughing. Anyway, so then we left back home and I didn't talk to him for a full year until we went to a different stretch of mountainside, a bit more up north, and guess who was there…"

"Thailus," Neville rolled his eyes. I giggled and nodded.

"And by then he's met Emralda and apparently they'd gotten carried away and were mates. His dad wasn't happy with that one so he just moved up north to be with her and her family. Oh wait… that sounds like…" I looked over at Neville, "I mean, the first part…"

Neville rolled his eyes again, but this time he was smiling.

"ANYWHO, so then we're all hanging out and stuff and Emralda is just like, 'Hey Thai, you know, she _is_ the reason we got along so well, I mean you were trying to hide your sense of humor before… And well, I mean, you wouldn't have been able to live up here with me if she hadn't helped you get over your anthropophobia…' Cause there were a lot more wizards that toured up there, and Thailus is just like, 'So what? She's an awesome human is all.' And then Emralda rolls her eyes and just goes, 'Why don't you bond with her? Become partners and all that?' And it was so strange, because usually you partner up when at Wizarding school, and Thailus would _never_ have volunteered so it was definitely destiny cause I can't imagine partnering with anyone else," I finished with a smile, "But the thought actually had never occurred to Thailus before, and he got really excited about it so we went through the bonding process and I had a dragon before even going to school."

"What's the process like?" Neville asked curiously. I waved the question off with my hand.

"It's really complicated, and I mean, I don't feel like explaining it," I shrugged, "Is that OK?"

"Yeah," Neville smiled, "its fine, I was just curious." He squeezed my hand tightly as we sat down on a bench in the woods near his house.

"So I was talking to Gran this morning," Neville paused, beaming at me, "And she gave me something to give to you. I didn't even know she had this, I'd have thought it would be with… but I guess she just felt it would be better for me to have."

"What?" I asked cheerfully, holding his hand and resting my head on his shoulder.

He pulled out of his pocket a little black box and handed it to me, smiling softly. I felt my eyes widen as I opened it and took out a small, modest diamond ring.

"Mum was a lot like you," Neville paused, "She didn't like big flashy things and she almost didn't change her name either… but Gran sort of begged her. Anyway, I felt you'd like it… it's sort of a family heirloom type thing," Neville blushed.

I leaned over and kissed him gently, "I love it, Nev." He gently slipped it onto my finger and I threw my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder. I drunk in his boy smell and snuggled in his arms, unwilling to ever really leave them.

The next day there was going to be a dance up at Hogwarts, sort of as a formal celebration of the formal end to the war. The war itself wasn't really done yet; there were a lot of Death Eaters out there and Neville had even been hired by Kingsely to help with the clean-up in the ministry. I got dressed in a light yellow sundress that completely reflected the uncharacteristic sunny mood I was in, and Neville pulled on khaki slacks and a polo shirt that made him look surprisingly neat for once- or maybe that was how he looked when he wasn't more concerned about saving Hogwarts than his appearance? Gran pulled on her usual green robes, fox scarf, red handbag and giant, ostentatious hat.

"Well come on you two," Gran smiled, "Is Thailus going to fly us over, or should we apparate?"

"Thailus has already gone on over," I paused, wondering how she _didn't_ notice that the giant blue dragon wasn't in the backyard, "He had some business to take care of. We should apparate."

Gran nodded and we all spun on the spot, appearing in the Hog's Head as usual. Gran nodded politely to Aberforth, who immediately straightened up and tried to look neat upon her appearance. She left the pub almost immediately afterwards, though, and Ab grumbled and slouched again.

I kind of wanted to burst into laughter.

"See ya, Ab!" Neville and I waved as we left the grumpy pub owner, running through the village and up to Hogwarts, hands clasped tightly. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and all was right with the world.

The teens were gathered in the grounds, lounging around and laughing. Seamus was fully healed now, and handing a handful of grapes to Lavender. Dean Thomas and Padma Patil were laughing about something the latter had said. Parvati and Hannah giggled as Ernie tried to open a can of muggle soda, failing miserably. Michael, Terry and Anthony were all being rowdy as always, joking and laughing loudly. Hermione was napping, her head resting on Ron's shoulder, his arm around her waist. George, Angelina Johnson, Oliver, Lee, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Percy and Cho Chang were laughing about the shapes of the clouds, George cracking jokes for the first time since the battle. And Ginny was relaxing, lying in Harry's lap, as he stroked her hair gently and watched the clouds in the sky.

It looked so normal, you could barely tell that these kids had gone through hell.

Neville and I greeted them warmly, waving from a ways off. The Ravenclaw boys all threw cat-calls and jeers at us, calling us "fancy" and "polite." Neville rolled his eyes and we sat down, me immediately curling up into his embrace.

I tried to not think about the fact that Thailus' business was collecting my father and sister so they could come to the dance and meet Neville… and how my dad would be finding out about the nature of Neville and my relationship.

"Can't wait for this dance thing," Ron threw out casually. I gave him an amused look, knowing full well he wouldn't be excited if Hermione wasn't finally his girlfriend.

"Should be fun," Seamus agreed, "Lord knows we need a little bit of fun."

"We should make it a nude party," George laughed from his spot, "Really throw it home we're going to go crazy now that Voldy Pants is gone…"

"Now George…" Percy scolded. Ron immediately began making fun of him behind his back, pulling faces and making fancy gesticulations in the manner of a pompous know-it-all. Hermione, though looking a bit annoyed, decided to ignore him.

"I just like it like this," Harry paused, "Quiet, peaceful. No one trying to kill me…"

Neville and Seamus laughed appreciatively. Ginny reached out and squeezed his hand and I kind of wanted to give her a high five. I leaned into Neville's embrace, closing my eyes and relaxing more than I had all year. He gently ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"You know," Neville murmured, his voice more content than I had ever heard it, "It would be fun to teach at Hogwarts."

"Fun?" a bunch of people asked in astonishment, except for Hermione, who nodded eagerly in agreement.

"I mean it," Neville paused, "Pass on the wisdom to a new generation… Show off the DA galleon and talk about the war…"

"We're war heroes," Seamus commented lightly, "That's pretty awesome in and of itself."

"War heroes at the tender ages of sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and older," I stuck my tongue out at the twenty-somethings a ways off. George stuck his tongue back out at me and Angelina slapped his arm lightly.

"Kingsley still needs our help, though, guys," Harry reminded, "There are still loads of Death Eaters around and we need to round them up, make the world a safer place, so Teddy and all who come after him will live normal lives… for the most part."

"There will always be more Dark Wizards though, Harry," I sighed, "Always be more people with crazy ideas, crazy wishes, and violent means to carry them out."

"That's why I'll be an Auror," Harry nodded, "To keep fighting."

"You've earned a retirement, mate," Ron laughed, "Don't you just want to relax? Play some Quidditch or something?"

"I can't imagine doing anything except being an Auror," Harry shrugged, "It's what I want to do."

"Harry Potter, savin' the world," Dean chuckled, raising his fist in the air.

"I'm going to come back to school," Hermione commented lightly, trying to brush it off as nothing. Everyone stared at her, not surprised in the slightest but still amazed.

"Really?" Ron sighed slightly, running his fingers through her hair and his face rather sad.

"Yes," Hermione nodded again, "I want to finish properly and take my N.E.W.T.s, and maybe go on to work in the Ministry. I want to help House-Elves and other marginalized creatures," she paused, "Just because Voldemort's gone, doesn't mean they won't still be persecuted."

"OK," I grinned, "That deserves a fist bump," and I held my arm out to her and she punched it lightly, a slight smile on her face. The father we got away from the stress of the battle, the more we found we could get along.

"I'm going to help out George," Ron shrugged, "He needs it, that shop is too much for one person and I'm sort of sick of all this fighting."

"I'm going to do Quidditch when I'm done with school," Ginny laughed, "I find I really love it, now that I'm not under the shadows of my brothers."

There was a slight, calm pause as the clouds continued to roll over above us.

"I have to go home," I whispered, "Just for a little while." Neville nodded and kissed the top of my head again.

"Won't you miss each other?" Hermione asked, frowning, fully aware of the partnership-thing after Seamus blabbed it to all who had been absent from the RoR. When Neville and I weren't around. So they would start laughing behind their hands the next time they saw us. Making us confused. And embarrassed.

No, I wasn't mad at Seamus _at all_… (Sarcasm)

"Yes," I answered honestly, "Terribly. But my visa's up at the end of August anyway and besides that, I want to go through the UDRA, and do what I mean to do. But Kingsley's surprisingly interested in me starting up a UK DRA, so that's probably what I'll do when I get back. Come to think of it…" I looked over at Harry, "You're probably going to be my boss."

Harry made a little motion like 'score,' and everyone laughed.

"Hey," we heard a voice call out, and we all turned to see Hagrid standing a ways off, "The House-Elves have made some lunch if yer interested!"

Ron immediately jumped up and everyone laughed. I stood up gingerly, helping Neville up and linking my arm with his.

"But the more _I_ think about it," Harry paused and looked over at me as we all walked back, "Of all the people to work for me…"

I laughed evilly and skipped forward, bringing Neville along with me. He cried out in shock at my initial change of speed but then caught up with me, laughing his head off. We all sat at picnic tables that had been set up after the Great Hall had been basically destroyed and started eating, laughing and talking amongst ourselves. I was trying to have a real conversation with Hermione about House-Elf rights, but for the most part I was extraordinarily distracted by Neville's hand resting on my inner thigh. It didn't help that it kept creeping upward.

Soon enough, the entire Order of the Phoenix had arrived, as well as many others, and I could see off in the distance a royal blue dot. I knew it was Thailus, and I knew he would be at Hogwarts in about thirty minutes, and as such I started getting nervous. What would my father think of Neville? How would he react to the life-partnership deal? To the engagement? To my face with all its scars, to…

"You alright Mags?" Neville asked cheerfully as we walked amongst the mingling people, listening to the calm music in the background.

"Yeah," I breathed, swallowing, "Just… I dunno."

"Come on, now," Neville cooed softly in my ear, pulling me closer to him so that I was inhaling his boy smell, "You can tell me anything."

I swallowed again, "I have a… a surprise?" My voice went high on the last word. Neville's eyebrows rose up.

"Maggie…" he sighed, exasperated.

"Um… Thailus is bringing someone with him," I whispered, "And I had no idea how to tell you before 'cause… well… it's going to be interesting."

"Who?" Neville held my upper arms and looked at me, his face puzzled.

"Um… My dad and sister…" I squeaked, averting my eyes. I heard him swallow and take a deep breath.

"Oh… Oh… you could've warned me, love," Neville's voice was rather high pitched.

"I know I just… didn't really know how to tell you… it was all Thailus' idea and he goes up to Kingsley and is like 'Can my partner's family come for the celebration?' And Kingsley is all, 'Sure, of course, lord knows they've been through a lot because of the war and deserve to celebrate as much as anyone,' and Thailus is all, 'OK, let's keep it a secret from Maggie until the day before so she doesn't panic,' but without realizing that I would just panic more and not know how to tell you and…" I was talking very fast and he silenced me with his lips.

"OK, it's fine," Neville nodded, "Does he know…"

"Um…" I crunched up my face in embarrassment, "Um… No?"

Neville groaned loudly.

"Well I haven't exactly talked to him since we went into hiding and it happened while we were in hiding!" I sighed, "And I mean… Thailus said he'd see if he could ease into the conversation on the flight over…"

"Is he?" Neville asked.

"Well, his thoughts are extremely apologetic right now," I swallowed, "My sister is rambling on… and on… and on…"

Neville groaned again and let go of me, such a rare thing, to hold his face in his hands.

"I'm sure it'll be fine!" I laughed nervously. Neville continued to groan, though now I could make out that he was saying, "I'm going to die. I'm going to get killed. Oh God he's going to kill me."

"Now, that's the one thing we know he can't do!" I continued to laugh in a high-pitched voice, "I mean, if he kills _you_ he kills _me_, I _did_ call it an insurance policy after all…"

"Then this is going to be a very, very awkward moment," Neville paused, looking up at me, "In which I will wish to die of embarrassment. And he'll probably still want to kick my ass."

"He can't do that. You're like… the leader of the DA… and he's like… an apothecary…" I swallowed, grimacing.

Neville just groaned again and buried his face in his hands, "Oh my God…"

"I'm really sorry!" I sighed, reaching out to touch his arm. Neville looked up at me, still grimacing.

"It's alright," he paused, swallowing, "I'm just going to have to be really, really careful… with what I say… and where my hands are… and how I look at you… basically, I'm going to have to instantaneously change all of my mannerisms. No big deal."

"I'm really really sorry!" I said again, taking his face in my hands. He sighed beneath my touch, closing his eyes.

"I understand," he murmured, "How long till they get here? I need to get it out of my system…"

"Um…" I checked with Thailus, "Twenty minutes."

"That's basically the worst length of time!" Neville groaned, "Not long enough so that a quick shag will do anything except make us look messy and not short enough for me to be able to just sit on my hands until they get here!"

"Sorry!" I grimaced again, gently tracing the outline of his chin. Ever since my favorable reaction, Neville had taken to shaving less and less, giving him a very scruffy appearance without a full-on beard. This made me even more… erm… excited than usual and right now it wasn't helping.

"I should have shaved," Neville agreed with my thoughts, "Then maybe you'd stop touching me… and I would look more respectable."

"You killed Voldemort's last Horcrux. Just… own that?" I suggested. Neville laughed weakly.

"I'll show him my sword… um… that came out wrong," Neville grimaced, "No swords. No talking about them."

"No insinuating about length," I agreed, and both of our faces flushed.

"This is going to be a disaster," Neville groaned loudly, louder than ever before, "Come. Give me a hug. It might be the last time we can touch each other, basically ever again…"

"He's only here for the evening…" I protested lightly.

"I'm taking the melodramatic route. This might be the last evening I'm alive, regardless of your link to my life…" and Neville pulled me in for a dramatic hug, "I'm about to die."

"WHAT?" I heard Hermione and Ginny scream. They had been walking by and looked at him in shock, "WHY?"

"He's not _actually_ going to die…" I laughed weakly.

"Yes I am. A terrible, painful death. Oh my God…" Neville pulled back from our hug and buried his face in his hands, leaning against a tree.

"Um… my dad's coming today," I squeaked. Hermione and Ginny burst into laughter.

"You'll be fine, Neville, just be yourself," Ginny giggled.

"It's not _me_ personally that'll piss him off," Neville sighed, "More like… _me_ and _Maggie_…"

"Oh," and both started giggling again. I glared at them.

"Shoo, shoo!" I waved my hands, "Go grope Harry and Ron, shoo!"

They laughed all the louder and walked away. I gingerly patted Neville's back and fidgeted with my ring.

"I mean, we are engaged, it could be worse…" I commented lightly. Ten more minutes.

"I dunno, that could _make_ it worse," Neville paused, "He seems the over protective type…"

"He _is_ the over protective type, where the hell do you think I got it from?" I rolled my eyes, "But I dunno… the weight of us shagging might be offset by the fact that we're going to get married…"

"I think that rushing into everything is just going to make it overall bad," Neville sighed, "But I really… I wouldn't ever take it back I…"

"Neither would I," I nodded, "It feels so _right_."

"Exactly. There wasn't a choice," Neville agreed.

"So maybe we should just… tell him that?" I offered.

"_You_ can," Neville shook his head, "_I_ will be making comments about the weather. Plants. Weather. How modest you look. No, maybe not that, that'll draw attention to the fact that I've seen you very _immodestly_. Um… My Gran! Yes! Bring up the grandmother, _that'll_ distract the conversation from immodesty and things like that…"

"Just… talk about anything. Talk to my sister! She won't care," I rolled my eyes, "She'll think it very romantic or something like that."

Neville nodded, "Yeah. I'll talk to Elena. Good plan. You can talk to your dad."

"Always giving me the hard job," I groaned, "Fine."

He kissed me passionately, _way_ more passionately than he probably would when my father got there. Granted, beyond a peck on the cheek or a small press to my forehead, he probably wouldn't kiss me at all in the presence of my father. But the kiss made me feel dizzy and I knew I wouldn't recover before my father got there.

We took each other's hands tightly and walked out to the field, waiting as Thailus flew over the forest and came to a smooth landing in the field. Everyone who knew Thailus cheered and all who were unaware of him gasped in shock.

"MAGGIE! MAGGIE MAGGIE MAGGIE!" I heard Elena squeal, and in a flash she had leapt up and hugged me. I hadn't even seen her get off of Thailus' back.

"ELENA!" I laughed in response, spinning her around. She broke away and beamed at me, clapping.

"Oh my God! It's so great to see you! I've missed you so much!" she squealed, "It's been so depressing and quiet and scary at home and I'm just so glad it's over and you're safe!"

"Me too!" I grinned, "It's so weird, not feeling like I'm about to die. No big deal."

She frowned, observing my face for the same time, "How many people did you piss off?"

I grimaced, "A lot…"

"Margaret," my father's voice said sternly, him walking up to stand beside Elena, "You couldn't have held your tongue? Really?"

"Not when it meant standing up for what's right," I insisted, holding out my hands. My father frowned again.

"Just _look_ at yourself!" he sighed, "You look like someone used you as a knife sharpener. And you have a look about you… a look like you've been through hell. You've changed," he paused, "If I had known…"

"Yeah but you _didn't_ know dad," I snapped, "You didn't, and everything happened and there's nothing we can do about it."

"You sound different, Maggie," Elena murmured softly. I looked at her in amusement.

"I've always been this lippy," I laughed. She shook her head.

"Your voice… sometimes it changes," she paused, "When you got really mad you practically had a British accent."

I looked at her, shocked, "No it didn't…"

"Just there, too," she nodded, "Your 'no' had a funny ending to it…"

"It does, Maggie," my dad agreed, "Some of your words sound British. Others still are American, but they're changing too."

"No one's noticed…" I raised my eyebrows, "Including me…"

"I noticed," Thailus put in, awkwardly, from a ways off, "I didn't want to say anything…"

"You've been here too long," my dad declared firmly, "You're going native. It's a good thing you're coming home soon. Time to reenter reality. Go to the UDRA, do what you love, settle down, be with your family, live as your mom would have wanted."

"Um…" I felt my entire face color.

"Even your 'um's are sounding British!" my sister gasped.

"Bloody hell," I whispered, before clasping my hand in front of my mouth and my eyes going wide. Oh, my, God, they're right…

"Yes. It is a _very_ good thing you're coming home. You're American," my dad reiterated.

"But… dad, I'm not… I won't be… I won't be coming home for good," I whispered hoarsely.

"WHAT?" Elena shrieked, "NO! No come _on_ Maggie! You've _got_ to stay home! I've missed you so much and why the hell would you come back anyway? You've suffered so much here!"

"I still…" I swallowed, unable to continue. The fact that I was coming back had become so imprinted on my brain that the idea that I wouldn't hadn't even occurred to me, and the fact that my family would take it for granted that I wouldn't be coming back hadn't occurred to me either.

"Is it because of the friends you've made? Because you'll make new friends, this has just been a year of your life," my father scolded sternly, "No need to let it tie you down."

"I…" I scrunched up my face, "Dad, Elena, there's something I haven't told you I… I, erm… Um…"

I had no clue what Neville was doing, probably watching from a distance. He was probably concerned. He probably felt guilty. Or maybe he was still terrified of my dad. It was probably all of these things.

"If I could… Speak for my partner?" Thailus cut in, walking over. My dad glared at him.

"Maggie… Maggie made a big life decision while she was here in the UK," Thailus paused, "And I, being privy to her thoughts and memories, wholeheartedly agree with it."

"Yes, well, Thailus, you've been known to make impulsive, foolish decisions, haven't you?" my dad snapped, "And Maggie is no exception. Really, no one should have been surprised that you two bonded. You were practically the same person before you even met. Calling you to the UK, in the middle of a battle… What other impulsive decisions has she made, since she apparently can't tell me?"

I played with the ring on my finger and felt like the entire lawn was on fire.

"Maggie… Maggie has…" Thailus looked just as lost for words as I was, "You know… From her letters…"

"All we know is that she was being an idiot, getting caught up in the resistance movement, becoming friends with its leaders! What were their names again?" my dad growled.

"Neville, Ginny, Luna and Seamus," Elena answered, "Being stupid, stealing swords from offices and running around, like she hadn't learned to be careful after mom…"

"Getting close to them, learning dangerous ideas, becoming part of something that wasn't related to her," my dad nodded.

"Not even caring how much we missed her, not even caring how much we worried about her, not caring for her own safety, just being impulsive Maggie, getting into danger at the worst possible time," Elena rolled her eyes.

I felt tears come to my eyes, both at the mention of Luna, and at the stress of the situation. If they could just… stop yelling… stop making me feel like I'd made a mistake… I turned on my heels with my face in my hands and ran, sobbing. I heard someone coming after me, but I didn't stop running until I'd gone behind some of the rubble in the castle.

"Hey," my favorite voice in the world soothed softly. I looked up, tears still streaming down my face, to see Neville sitting next to me and wrapping his arm around my shoulder, "Hey, sweetheart…"

I buried my face in his chest, "They… They aren't going to understand, Nev…" I gripped his shirt as I continued sobbing.

"They barely let you get a word in edgewise at the end!" Neville sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't come to help, I just… I thought you would want to tell them alone…"

"I did," I nodded, "But now it seems that isn't going to work."

There was a pause as my sobs slowed into sniffles and I curled up in his embrace. Thailus was keeping them at bay, being evasive about the tall boy who had run after me when I had run away.

"Do I really sound British?" I hiccupped. He laughed quietly.

"I didn't notice, honest, love… I guess I just witnessed the transformation as it happened, so it was lost on me. Like when a friend loses weight, when they see someone after a long time that someone is shocked, but you're just like, 'Oh… ha… I barely noticed, it was so gradual.' But now that I see it through their eyes, you do have a slight beginning of an accent," he kissed the top of my head, "Welcome."

I laughed and started crying again, "Oh my God. They're going to hate me."

"No they're not, they're your family," Neville soothed, rubbing my arm gently.

"Yes they are going to. It's like I've turned my back completely on them. I'm not going to be living at home for the rest of my life, I'm not going to do what I've always planned to do, not _really_, I'm not part of their country anymore, not _really_… I'll choose you over them in a heartbeat I… I'm such an awful person…" I sobbed.

"No, you're not," Neville murmured softly, "You've been through a lot this past year, a lot they can't understand. And if they knew about us, they'd probably be more understanding about the moving thing…" he took a deep breath, "And… Mags… if it really… if it would make your life easier, if it would make you happier…"

"What?" I asked, looking up at him in terror. He couldn't leave me, that was the whole point of the partner thing!

"Nothing bad, love, calm down," Neville gently stroked my cheek, "No, I… I can… If you want me to, _I_ can move _there_…"

I looked at him in shock, "No."

His eyebrows raised into his hairline, "No?"

"No," I shook my head, "_Our_ family… _your_ family… is here and I couldn't… _We_, _we_ belong here. This is where our coupleness, our love, our marriage, the family we start, belongs. It doesn't belong in America. We worked so hard to make this country safe, we worked so hard… You have so many friends here, and let's be honest, I didn't even keep up with my _family_ in the end, I don't have anyone back 'home'… And I've made countless friends here and they're like my family… Like that one dude said, 'Friends are people who go to the carnival together. Best friends are those who went through hell together.' I might have known the folks back home for longer, but… But I still know you guys better," I shook my head again, "No."

"You sure?" Neville asked.

I nodded, "I'm positive. This is home."

He kissed me softly and held me tighter to him. I sighed, calming down some after I came to that realization. There was no doubt, regardless of what my sister and father said.

"Do you want to go back? Try again?" Neville asked.

"I'd rather stay here with you," I sighed, "Let's run away. Elope. Forget normalcy, let's just _do_ it."

He chuckled, "I'm going to insist on the normalcy, love. You deserve it. The whole wedding deal with the dress and the flowers and the music."

I rolled my eyes, "I've never wanted it…"

"Be honest with me, Mags," Neville sighed, "Does the idea repulse you?"

"Before," I frowned, "Before, before I met you and fell in love with you… it did. But even before we made love, even before we told each other… just, when I fell for you… it started to not…"

"Then, why not?" Neville grinned, "Voldy's dead. We have all the time in the world."

"True enough," I kissed him softly, "Sorry, I just… wanted to do something crazy."

"Your father isn't kidding when he calls you impulsive," Neville rolled his eyes, "What _am_ I going to do with you…"

"Make love to me until dawn?" I suggested. He laughed loudly, holding my arm and chortling.

"Besides that," he chuckled, "Besides that, love."

"Run away from this nonsense with me?" I suggested again. He shook his head, smiling.

"Come on, do you want to go back? We don't have to talk to them if you don't want to, we can just dance," Neville offered, gently tucking my side layers behind my ear so he could see my full face.

"I like to dance with you," I smiled softly, "Maybe that'll send a hint. And if not… I just want to be with you. Enough of this pressure. Enough of the expectations. All that matters is you and me."

"God I love you," Neville whispered, standing up and helping me up along with him.

"I love you to, Nev," I kissed him softly, "OK, let's go. This is supposed to be a celebration."

"I'm not the one who got upset," Neville chuckled, "OK, that's a lie. I'm very mad at your family. But I shouldn't be."

"It's OK," I leaned into him as we walked back, "I appreciate your concern, your presence, and your understanding."

He kissed the top of my head as we reached the lawn that was functioning as a dance floor, and then swooped me onto it by the arm and turned me around into his embrace. I giggled, looking at him in surprise.

"I can sort of dance," he grinned cockily, "Um… I was pressured to do well by the Yule Ball fourth year so I really tried hard. Just ask Ginny. I surprised everyone."

I giggled again and we danced, his hands neatly on my waist and mine on his shoulders, swaying smoothly on the grass. The music was peaceful and night was slowly falling, so the beautiful twilight fell on the scene. I rested my forehead against his and he beamed slightly, holding me close to him and completely relaxed.

"I love you," I whispered again, overcome with emotion as we spun around.

"Well I love you too," he grinned, "You are beautiful."

I blushed and rested my head on his shoulder, smiling in contentment. He gently kissed the side of my neck briefly and I shivered in pleasure, closing my eyes and sighing.

The song ended, but he didn't let go of me, merely wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked up to Thailus. My family didn't seem to be around him, but he nuzzled me and then (shockingly) nuzzled Neville.

"Hey kids," he paused, "I'm sorry… I should have warned you that they've been like that basically all year…"

"It's OK," I hugged his snout tightly, "I'm sorry I reacted like that…"

"You had every right to," Thailus rolled his eyes, "They were being overwhelming and I told them so."

"What else have you told them, Thai?" Neville asked.

"I told them she's been through hell over this past year, that she's forged some amazingly close friendships, and she has to tell them something very important and would appreciate their complete support," Thailus looked at me, "Is that OK?"

I nodded, holding Neville by one arm and Thailus by the other, my boys.

"I want you there," I looked at Thailus while patting his snout, "_Both_ of you."

"OK," Neville kissed my forehead, "Where are they?"

"They're talking to Harry Potter, who is totally talking about your bravery- both of your bravery- to build you up a bit," Thailus grinned, "We definitely had a moment of hissing and agreeing on a plan."

"Well _where_?" I laughed weakly.

"Over by the punch," Thailus inclined his head, "Not sure if they saw you dancing or not, but let's just go."

I nodded and took a deep breath. Neville squeezed my waist tightly and Thailus licked my arm as we walked over to the refreshments table, where Harry was indeed talking loudly and gesticulating to my sister and father.

"Ah look!" Harry said happily, "Here they are!"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Harry…"

"You kids just have fun!" he chuckled, "I'm going to go…"

"Go shag Ginny," I rolled my eyes. He stuck his tongue out at me and ran off. Thailus looked down at my family, his eyes narrowed. Neville tightened his hold on me and I took a deep breath. Elena watched me and Neville with surprise on her features, my father with something that looked like a combination of mild anger and confusion.

"Dad, Elena," I took another deep breath. Neville squeezed my waist again.

"This is Neville," I nodded to him, "And… And… And…" I swallowed, "And he's my boyfriend- fiancée- We're going to get married. I love him, and he loves me, and we've made love and I'm not ashamed of it."

Elena's eyes widened and my father's narrowed.

"What a... What a _stupid thing_... I cannot believe..." my dad looked like he was about to blow a gasket, unable to form a full sentence.

"He's _everything_ to me dad," I whispered softly, "And there's nothing you can do about it, is there?"

He continued to fume. I swallowed and continued, "And it's not just the link talking. Before we had even told each other how we felt, I knew I couldn't live without him. Every time he came back from something with new scars and new wounds I wanted to hurt whoever had hurt him, hold him, make him feel better again. And he almost died trying to defend me, well before we confessed our feelings. He is the only person I could ever love," I leaned into him, trying to steady my breathing.

"You didn't give yourself time to find someone else," my father hissed.

"No one else could understand me now, dad," I whispered, "No one else has been through what I've been through."

"Certainly, they could understand after you explained it," he rolled his eyes.

"Not this," I shook my head, "Not this, dad. It's been hell. It's been hell on wheels and you know why I stopped writing? It wasn't because I was abandoning you, or had outgrown you, or was trying to become British or any crap like that. I stopped writing because the only thing I could talk about was pain, suffering, and fear. The only things I could write about anymore were things I was trying to protect you from. But he was there, dad… he was there whether I wanted to protect him or not and he _had_ to hear about these things, and he was there for me, he suffered with me… No one can understand that."

Neville's hold on me tightened and I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply.

"Margaret…" my father began, but he paused long enough for my sister to interject.

"So," she smiled slightly, to my complete surprise, "You're going to be my brother?" I was shocked to find her talking to Neville, and not me.

"Yeah," Neville laughed slightly, "Never had a sister before, that's new."

"Think of how new it is for me," Elena pointed out, "It's been me and Maggie my whole life. Eww. No boys allowed. I even go to an all-girls school," she grinned.

"There is that," Neville paused, "But I was raised by my Gran, so I'm used to girls… That came out rather badly…"

I giggled and covered my hand with my mouth. Elena's smile grew.

"We know what you meant," Elena slipped into the plural that she (and I) often used when talking about our (in theory) emotions. Honestly, we acted like twins half the time, despite there being four years between us.

"So what are you into, Elena?" Neville asked cheerfully, all three of us now completely ignoring my fuming father.

"I don't even know yet," she sighed, "I have no life direction."

I rolled my eyes and commented, "You've always been good at charms…"

"And what does that get me?" Elena shrugged, "I dunno. We'll find out next year when I take my A.O.W.L.s. What about you, Neville? What job are you going to have?"

"I love Herbology," Neville smiled, "I'm going to teach it, maybe even research."

"Figures Maggie would get a life-lover," Elena grinned, "She's all 'let's save the planet!' and 'Go nature!'"

"I've noticed," Neville leaned into me fondly.

"Elena…" my father snapped. Elena turned on him, her hands on her hips.

"Look, dad," she paused, "Maggie's made her choice. And honestly, he can't be a bad guy, he helped to fight You-Know-Who. And he immediately ran after her when she was upset before, didn't even pause for a beat. And they seem to have been through a shitload together. Yes, dad, I just said shit," she rolled her eyes at my father's protest, "And you were too busy arguing with Thailus to notice them when they reappeared, you didn't see the way they looked at each other. They absolutely adore each other. There's no point in fighting it and I'm really not sure I want to."

My father fumed.

"Look at him;" Elena inclined her head, "What's wrong with him? Really? And look at how happy Maggie is the instant she's with him. She was upset within minutes before when we were arguing with her. Now, she's perfectly calm, even though you're still arguing, most definitely because he's here."

He continued to fume for a moment before demanding of Neville, "What, exactly, have you done for her? _Before_ finalizing the mating."

Neville looked rather pissed, "What have I done for her? _What_ have I _done_ _for_ her?" I swallowed, realizing he was actually getting mad, which never had.

"Look at these scars, with all due respect, Mr. Johnson," Neville pointed to his face, "I don't remember what each one is from, but I can guarantee that half of them were sustained protecting Maggie or Maggie's honor. At the end, before I went into hiding, every time I got into trouble it was because I was doing something to help her, save her. I was incredibly weak one day, almost going to collapse, but Maggie was in danger and an instinct overcame me that I couldn't control and I saved her, not because I would literally die without her as I would now, but because _nothing is ever going to hurt her when I am around_. Look at this," and Neville let go of me (to my annoyance) to pull off his shirt, much to the gaping of the crowd, to reveal his scar. It was no longer bright red, but still rather angry looking, and Elena winced and my dad's scowl turned into a slight grimace.

"I didn't get this fighting for the cause. I got it protecting your daughter from getting captured. What more do you _want_? Even before I knew she loved me I would sustain serious injury for her in a heartbeat. She is everything to me and was everything to me a long time before our lives were linked together. Happy? Or ashamed? This war was hell, Mr. Johnson. Sheer hell. You don't know an _inkling_ about it and you shouldn't even _question_ the bonds she's formed, or how much we sacrificed for each other before our lips even met. So with all due respect," he breathed deeply, pulling back on his shirt (to my annoyance,) "Buttle off."

My dad looked at him, shocked; but Ginny, Harry, Ron, Seamus and a bunch of other people nearby who had been listening started clapping- even Hermione did. Seamus, being Seamus, threw in a whoop.

"And nothing's changed just because I've been intimate with her. If anything, the need to protect her is even deeper. So… yeah," Neville shrugged, holding me again (yay). I swallowed and looked up at the night sky, not wanting to see whatever expression my father may or may not have had on his face.

There was a very long pause and when I finally looked down again my father's face had softened, _somewhat_. Elena was looking down at her shoes and shuffling her feet.

"Will you ever tell us what happened?" my dad finally asked me gruffly.

"Someday," I paused, "When I'm ready to talk about it."

They nodded, and the rest of the evening passed without any sort of remarkable incident. In fact, the rest of the month passed without incident. One month before my visa was up, Hell came knocking on our doorstep once again.

Neville and I were walking through the garden again, not really talking but just enjoying each other's presence. I couldn't imagine our lives being any better than they were; Neville was working for a time with Kingsely and I was ready to go back, go through the UDRA, and come back to the UK to help Kingsley set up a UKDRA.

We were startled in our calm reverie by two loud cracks in the air. In front of us appeared a tall man of tan complexion with dark hair, and Kingsely himself. Kingsley looked grim; the other man looked pompous and snooty.

"Hello Margaret Johnson," the other man said in an American accent, which shocked me, "I am Ricardo Fernandez, Magic Senate Leader."

"Oh," I breathed, "Right…" He was basically the equivalent of the Magic President, except, he wasn't the President of the whole country, so he technically could not be called that.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Would you care to sit down?" Mr. Fernandez offered. I looked over at Neville in fright and we sat down on a nearby bench, the other two standing.

"You have, unfortunately, during your time here in the UK violated some important American Wizarding Laws," Mr. Fernandez started, not beating around the bush at all, "Namely, the Provision for the Secrecy of Hand Magic and the Provision for the Secrecy of Dragon Riding."

I looked at him in shock, "Wait, those laws specifically say that if I have to talk about them, I can…"

"Yes," Mr. Fernandez agreed, "And the Senate does _not_ believe that you had to."

"_What_?"

"Your statement clearly describes the situations in which you told. We do _not_ believe that you had to floo Thailus and we do _not_ believe that you had to tell anyone about Hand Magic, especially when it brought you such danger as it did. It was _your_ mistake to have done it in an area where anyone could have walked in on you."

"But… But… This is ridiculous! Don't you know how _awful_ it is to be separated from your dragon for so long?"

"You forget that I, too, am a rider, Miss Johnson," Mr. Fernandez said sternly, "And, during my time in the UDRA, there was a point when I was separated from my dragon, Uly, for a full two years while he was captured in Mexico. Yet, we did not talk, because it would have been too dangerous with the war in Mexico. I believe your situation was similar?"

I hung my head.

"Furthermore, the revelation of Hand Magic to the Death Eaters not only put you at risk, but could have potentially given You-Know-Who powers he had not had before. Mr. Shacklebolt agrees that this was a risk that was unnecessarily taken. Besides performing Hand Magic in the Common Room, where you obviously could be walked in on, the fact that you did it in the middle of a hallway, where clearly any of the Death Eaters could have found you, was stupid. Sheer stupidity, Miss Johnson," Mr. Fernandez paused, "In light of your heroism and refusal to give up the secrets, and contributions to the war have been taken into account, and you will not be given the usual punishment."

I felt my spirits rise a bit as Neville hissed in my ear, "What's the usual punishment?"

"Incarceration," I whispered back.

"Instead," Mr. Fernandez paused, "After your initial training year at the Academy, you will be conscripted to a three-year service at the UDRA. Only after that may you return to the UK."

"_WHAT?"_ Neville and I shouted in unison.

"Yes," Kingsley nodded glumly, "I'm sorry, but it was either that or five years in prison. I feel this is better."

I swallowed and nodded, closing my eyes tightly.

"Furthermore, I feel I must warn you now, Mr. Longbottom- nor any of the other citizens of the UK- are permitted to enter US boarders," Mr. Fernandez sighed. Neville jumped up at this.

"WHAT?" Neville shouted, "That isn't fair! NO! You can't keep us separate for that long- you're a dragon rider- surely you understand the whole…"

"I do," Mr. Fernandez paused, "As do much of the Senate. However, we cannot be sure as to the safety, loyalties, and identity of anyone coming over, even you Mr. Longbottom. But we have made provisions for the two of you in light of your unique situation."

"Oh?" I asked, breathless and hopeless.

"Like the rest of the UK, you will be permitted to send Owls back and forth," Mr. Fernandez paused again, "But, you will be allowed to use Communicative Flooing _only_ between each other. You may _not_ pass through the fireplace all the way and you may _not_ Floo anyone else. If abuse of this privilege is made known to the Senate, it will be removed. Understood?"

We both nodded. I was trying really hard to not cry.

"Edgar Bala will be at the Customs Office in a month to personally escort you home. Goodbye, Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Johnson," and Mr. Fernandez nodded and apparated away. Kingsley did as well, but with a sorry expression on his face.

I turned to Neville with tears streaming down my face and buried it in his chest. I couldn't… No…

We tried to stay positive during the last month, but everyone around us could tell we were both silently dreading the day we would be separated. Something was off about our smiles and we simply refused to let go of each other, our time being able to touch each other being limited as it was.

The night before I was to leave, I was staring at Neville in our room. Gran had gone to bed early, unwilling to talk to us about it or disturb us. We were standing, arm length apart, just holding each other and looking into each other's eyes. I felt tears well up and pour down my face in rivers, and Neville's face looked just the same as mine.

"I don't… We should… We need…" Neville pulled together his stammering for a moment, "We should just run away. Run far away. To a third country."

"We can't. No countries are letting in Brits, it's not just America," I sniffled, "And I don't have a visa. They won't grant me one."

"Illegally, then. France. Somewhere. You, you don't show up at Customs tomorrow," Neville whispered desperately, pulling me closer to him.

"They'll come out and find me, and Kingsley wants to… wants to stay on the good side of other Magical Governments, after the Brits have been pissing them off for three years. First some people are saying he's back but he's not, then oops, he is back, then he's taken over… Nobody's happy and Kingsley isn't going to make them madder," I tried hard to not sob, "So, no matter what he feels he owes us, he isn't going to antagonize them and keep me hidden."

"What if something happens to you, huh? What if you get into danger during your three years on the squad?" Neville pressed his forehead to mine, "And I haven't seen you in years? How is that fair?"

"It isn't," I sobbed, now pressing up against him, "It isn't, but… But we have no choice."

"You're a fighter, Mags," Neville cried, pressing his cheek to mine, "Why aren't you fighting?"

"Because, I don't want to get into more trouble. I don't want to get into so much trouble that we are separated forever. I don't want to risk anything. I won't tell you anything," I paused, declaring my decision, "That could tempt you to come over. Because you can't. You _can't_. And you… You should do the same with me."

"Okay," Neville whispered, "Okay… Don't get into trouble, then, so I'll want to come over."

"I'll do my best," I kissed him, "Back at you."

He nodded and kissed me again with tears running down his face and mine. We spent the night, not sleeping, but making love and when we weren't, just looking at each other and drinking each other in. We couldn't sleep. Every last second we had together was precious, and emotions were running so high we couldn't think rationally. We were reckless.

Our irrational nature continued into the next day, when all my friends were seeing me off. Thailus had flown back a week ago and would probably be getting there in a few days. I stood, hugging everyone goodbye, but only superficially. I couldn't let go of Neville. I loved everyone there- Seamus, Ginny, Ron, Dean, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, Harry, even Hermione- but I needed to be with Nev. I couldn't… I can't… I won't… I wouldn't…

I held tightly to him until Edgar- good, kind, friendly Edgar who looked absolutely pissed off at having to be the one to do this- came out. He nodded to me, his face grave, and I turned and gave Neville a spectacular kiss, that lasted much too long.

But I still couldn't let go of him.

I couldn't… I… NO!

Edgar tried to gently pry me off of Neville, but I was holding too tightly to him and he to me. I sobbed, shaking my head, as Edgar continued to try and pull us away, a bit more fevered now.

"Miss Johnson… Miss Johnson, please, _please_ don't make this difficult," Edgar sighed. I continued to shake my head, unable to speak, holding tightly to Neville and not letting go.

"Maggie… Please, I understand, I really do, but you can't… you have to be back in America… _Maggie_," Edgar pleaded. Neville buried his face in my hair and clasped his arms around me, tightening his hold.

"MAGGIE!" Edgar finally shouted after a long struggle, pulling out his wand and his hand and literally ripping me away with magic. Before I could fight back, he had grabbed me by the arm and was pulling me away, dragging me along, and I struggled and struggled and Neville shouted and shouted, but it was too late, and we were side-along apparating and-

And then Neville was gone.

AN: Yeah I decided that the Neville in the movies who kicks butt at the Yule Ball is more fun than typical clumsy Neville in the books. Other than that, and Neville's appearance, basically everything in these stories is book-based.

This chapter was intense, but I had to put a lot in it. The epilogue to part one will probs come tomorrow, I've already written it I just have to type it up. It's happier. I promise. I swear on everything I love.

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Please, I love hearing what you guys like about the story and what you didn't like, because it helps me grow as a writer! SO REVIEW!


	18. Epilogue: Return

Epilogue: Return

_My hands are searching for you_

_My arms are outstretched towards you_

_I feel you on my fingertips_

_My tongue dances behind my lips for you_

_This fire rising through my being_

_Burning I'm not used to seeing you_

_I'm alive, I'm alive_

_I can feel you all around me_

_Thickening the air I'm breathing_

_Holding on to what I'm feeling_

_Savoring this heart that's healing_

_My hands float up above me_

_And you whisper you love me_

_And I begin to fade_

_Into our secret place_

_~All Around Me by Flyleaf_

I haven't seen her since, not _really. _Not enough to make me happy, not enough to satisfy the thirst within my heart.

It's been ten years…

I stand up and put the journal back in my desk and walk over to the telly that Dean had persuaded me to buy when we had gotten the flat together along with Seamus. But then Dean married Lavender and Seamus eloped with Parvati (her dad was _not_ happy about it) and I now live on my own. It doesn't matter for the three fourths of the year I am at Hogwarts, teaching; but the summers in London, like right now, tend to drag on.

And on.

And on.

I flip on the telly and watch the BBC 1, delighted to find that an episode of _Doctor Who _is playing. Donna and the Doctor are going to the planet Midnight. This episode has always scared me, I am delighted I get to watch it to distract myself from Maggie's continued absence. In a month, it will have been ten years since she was wrenched away from me by Edgar.

I watch up until the point when the Doctor is about to be thrown out of the tourist car when the doorbell rings. I groan, unwilling to stop watching at such a climactic moment, and stumble up to the door. I need a bloody butterbeer.

"Hello," Harry Potter greets casually, "May I come in?"

I nod, shocked. Last I heard from Harry was about two weeks ago, when he had informed me he was going to the States to help in the War. It was hardly any help for him to be there for less than two weeks. He walks inside and stands awkwardly in the kitchen of my flat.

"I have good news," Harry pauses, swallowing, "And bad news."

I watch him wearily, "What?"

"Maggie's coming home," Harry smiles weakly.

My entire world starts spinning. I am in such a state of shock that I have to hold to Harry's shoulder to steady myself. She's... Coming... Home?

"Wh-What?" I whisper.

"In two days, Maggie will be at the Magical Customs office, with her bags and belongings and charges, and will come home with you for good," Harry says. I feel my eyes widen and tears fall from them freely.

"Really?" I gasp, still breathless.

"There is no question," Harry nods, "The Governments have agreed to it at last."

"Oh... Oh thank God," and such relief floods through me I have to sit down at the kitchen table, my head between my knees. Harry waits for me to compose myself.

"What's... What's the bad news?" I ask, suddenly terrified.

"You have no idea how much she's kept from you to protect you, Neville," Harry sighs, "She's very bad off. It will be a while before she can shake the scars of the past ten years, and you have a lot of work ahead of you to help her."

I nod, tears in my eyes, "I will do anything for her."

"There's a good man," Harry claps my shoulder, "She still loves you."

"She sort of has to," I laugh glumly.

"I have a funny feeling she would have anyway. But every night, while I stayed as a guest in her flat, she would kiss your picture and her ring," Harry smiles, "Get ready."

I laugh happily and jump up. The flat is a mess and I have to clean it, Lord knows having Maggie in the house would no longer allow it to be my "bachelor pad." Not that I am unhappy with this change! I am elated.

I spend the first day cleaning, throwing out junk and cleaning up the bedroom. The flat has three bedroom, rendering in rather large, and I become suddenly gleeful at the idea that we could be hang children very, very soon. I then go out and restock the pantry with her favorite foods and drinks, humming cheerfully to myself the whole time.

I buy dragon food and get strange looks.

Seamus, Dean, Harry and Ron come over the night before and we throw a Gryffindor Boys reunion party to celebrate, drinking and laughing. Harry still looks weary, though, and I begin to get nervous. What happened to Maggie? Will I be able to save her?

The day of reckoning comes and all I can do is stand in the reception hall of the Magical Customs Office. Everyone is there- Gran; Bill and Fleur with their children Victoire, Dominique and Louis; Charlie; Percy and Audrey with Molly an Lucy; George and Angelina, with Fred and Roxanne; Seamus and Parvati and young Maggie, whom they named for my love, and her twin Mae; Dean and Lavender with Cedric, Luna, and Collin; Harry and Ginny with Teddy, James, Albus and young Lily; Hermione and Ron with Rose and young Hugo; and Ernie and Hannah, with Susan and Pomona. I pace around and the children run about, laughing and screaming like children do.

I can't sit down, no matter what I try; all I can do is pace and run my hands through my hair in frustration and exasperation. I need- I'm so- How much longer - ?

There is a commotion from inside the checkpoint office, and I stop my pacing and watch the door, alert. Everyone around me becomes silent as well and silences their children. The oldest kids, Teddy and Victoire, keep the younger ones quiet. I swallow and my heart races at a thousand beats per minute. The voices from within the door continue but I can't make out what they are saying.

The door opens, and out walks a young woman, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, with her dark brown hair pulled back into a pony tail except for her side layers, which hang across her face. Her face itself is scarred, much more scarred than the last time I saw it. She is limping and looking at the floor, carrying no luggage. She looks up.

Oh my, my poor Maggie...

Our eyes meet and we stand apart, just looking at each other, drinking each other in. Before I can even compose myself to react, she sprints forward, still limping. She launches herself into my arms and I hold to her tightly, tears now streaming from my eyes as I spin her around in my arms. She holds tightly to my shoulders and sobs, her legs holding tightly to my waist. I never want to let her go, ever, again. She is where she belongs, safe and in my arms.

She pulls her head back from my shoulder and kisses me, and the kiss makes me dizzy. I kiss her back and suddenly we can't stop, locked in each other's embrace and unable to consider anything else in the world. I run my fingers through her hair and she does the same, drinking each other in. Everything just suddenly feels so- so _right_.

I kiss her once more before pulling back, pressing my forehead against hers. She is still crying and holds my face between her hands.

"I love you I love you I love you I love you," she repeats, her voice shaking madly. I kiss her again.

"I love you too," I laugh breathlessly, "Oh God, I love you too." She kisses me once again and draws it out, leaving me rather dizzy.

She untangles herself from me, much to my personal annoyance, and buries her face in my chest while continuing to sob. I hold her, tears leaking from my own eyes, and rub her back. Once she's quieted, she's pulled back completely from me and takes my hand gently in her own.

"I have to show you something," she whispers quietly. I nod and we walk back to the door, where her luggage doubtlessly is.

We enter the door and her hand is squeezing mine so tightly I feel like it is going to fall off, but I don't say anything. We turn the corner and there is her luggage, which consists of only a few suitcases. But there's something else, too.

Someone else.

A young girl, around nine years old, is whispering angrily at a young boy of the same age. She has an all-too-familiar round face and dark brown shoulder length hair. She is wearing a long sleeved dress, white tights and mary-janes. The person she is hissing at is a quiet boy with hair that is a little bit lighter, but with black highlights, like Maggie's. His face is a little bit longer, and he isn't saying anything back to the girl, just staring at his shoes. He is wearing a flannel shirt, jeans and trainers, and looks terrified of all his surroundings.

"Kids," Maggie whispers hoarsely, still squeezing my hand. I feel like my heart has stopped.

The girl looks up and beams at me. "Yes, mummy," she says, though her accent is American, "He _does_ look just like me, you're right."

Maggie sighs, in what seems like exasperation, and murmurs, "Alice... Every time..." she swallows and looks at me, "That's Alice Melinda Johnson-Longbottom..."

"But I just go by Alice Longbottom, daddy," she beams, "Granddad always said mummy was just terrible at picking names, mine is much too long..."

"And he," Maggie interrupts, "Is Nathaniel Frank Johnson-Longbottom..."

"But he just goes by Nate Longbottom," Alice finishes, "He doesn't talk a lot. He's very shy. Mummy says he's loads like you."

Nate doesn't look up, just continues watching his shoes.

"Kids, this is daddy," Maggie continues, obviously trying to continue with her planned introduction. My heart still hasn't started up.

"Come _on_ mummy, we figured that out, he looks just like the picture _and_ you're holding his hand _and_ I look just like him," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Alice," Maggie scolds sharply, "Please, be nice just this _once_ for mummy..."

Alice shrugs, "_Nate_ isn't talking and you told him to. Why should _I_ be the only one to follow the rules? No one believes Nate and I are twins," Alice tells me, turning my way, "But I tell them we have to be because we were born on the same day, and mummy hasn't seen you since before we were born."

Maggie groans lightly and holds her face with her free hand. I still haven't recovered from the shock.

"And mummy told us once she can never have just one baby because she's partners with Uncle Thailus and dragons have many kids at a time, so the fewest she can ever have is twins," Alice pauses, "Oh seriously Nate, aren't you _ever_ going to talk?"

Nate still doesn't look up but mumbles, "Mummy I've lost my toad."

My heart starts up again and I can't help it; I laugh loudly before covering my mouth with my hand. Maggie looks infinitely relieved.

"Nate," she breathes in her relief, "Where did you see her last?"

"She was just here, she definitely came here from the States but I can't find her anywhere mummy!" he sounds very upset. I kneel down to his height, still holding to Maggie's hand.

"What's your toad's name?" I ask him softly. He looks up slightly and I am struck with how similar his eyes are to Maggie's.

"Luna," Nate mumbles, "I'm always losing her and it drives mummy mad."

"I'm sure she's here somewhere," I reassure, "We'll find her."

I look around, underneath all of the luggage as Alice is scolded by Maggie, though I really don't mind how much she talked. I turn around and look at my son's back to see a bright green toad sitting there. I laugh quietly and pick it up gingerly, walking around and putting the toad in his hands. His face lights up and he looks up at me, beaming.

"I had a toad too when I was your age," I smile, "His name was Trevor. I was always losing him."

Nate giggles and nods, hugging Luna to his chest. He then wraps his arms around my neck and I feel like I'm about to cry again. I hug him back tightly and turn back to Maggie. She has tears flowing freely down her face.

Alice runs up to me and hugs me by the knees and now my own tears flow over. She looks up at me, my own face staring back at me, and beams.

"Hiya daddy," she beams, "I'm really glad to be home. And I love you."

"Me too," I smile, "I'm really glad you're home, and I love you very much." I turn and grab Maggie's hand and she grabs Alice's, and I hoist Nate (and Luna) with my other arm to carry them. Maggie snaps her finger and the luggage follows us in midair.

We reenter the welcome hall and everyone gasps in shock, except Harry. Harry beams widely and looks like he wants to clap.

Alice let's go of Maggie's hand and runs forward, chattering happily and introducing herself and her brother. Nate looks at me and whispers, "I love you daddy."

I swallow and kiss his forehead, murmuring, "I love you too." He gingerly jumps down, almost falling over when landing, and runs up behind Alice with Luna. Victoire and Teddy walk up to them and begin talking, all the adults still amazed by the proceedings. I watch, amazed by my children, amazed at how Alice looks like me but acts like Maggie, and Nate looks like Maggie but acts like me. Just... Amazing.

I turn to Maggie and plant another kiss to her forehead and she hugs me tightly round the middle.

The war has finally ended.

Real life can begin.

AN: And that is where it originally ended. Not anymore, though, heheheheh. Two notes: One, I'm going back and filling up a lot of plot holes at the beginning of the story. Only after I've done that will I start posting part Two, so, don't expect updates for a little while (probs not till after the HP premiere; I'm also very busy rereading the whole series and rewatching all the movies and I'm only on book 2.) Two, I'm taking a break to reread the whole series and rewatch all the movies and play the new game I just got in the mail… Portal 2. Yes, Yes I am a nerd.

REVIEW! PLEASE, DEAR GOD, REVIEW, I'm getting hardly any and it's making me very, very sad. So, considering you won't be getting an update for a while (but check in and see if you can "spot the differences," hee hee, they aren't very big but it would still be funny if people noticed,) feel free to review this chapter until your fingers fall off. Please? REVIEW!


	19. Part 2 Prologue: Misery

Part Two:

_Dragon Wars_

Prologue: Misery

_Seal my heart and break my pride,_

_I've nowhere to stand and now nowhere to hide,_

_Align my heart, my body, my mind,_

_To face what I've done and do my time._

_~ Dust Bowl Dance by Mumford and Sons_

I've always hated flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The water doesn't change no matter where you are, though, if I am lucky, I can catch the glimpse of a whale. Hopefully, this will be the last time I and my mate, as well as our children on our backs, will have to make this journey. The children aren't saying or doing much, napping mostly.

It's been a long ten years.

I haven't set foot in the United Kingdom for ten years, and I feel old. I already was old, well, not really. I was a very young dragon, only thirty or so years old. My mate is older. But since then I feel as if I've aged a hundred years and not ten.

Some of our children are flying alongside us, whooping and calling happily. They have been mainly untouched by the devastation the past ten years, though, Emralda was right in bringing the family to Canada when the War began.

I thought Maggie would never have had to go through as much pain as she had during the year she spent in Britain. I was wrong. The past ten years had been soul-shattering, and as someone who shares an equal portion of that soul, I could feel the reverberations clearly.

I don't know if she'll ever recover. Oh, I know she's happy right now as I fly towards her. She's with him and, despite the distance, her joy reaches me and settles into my own heart because it's so deep. She's with her Neville, and her children, and they are a happy family. So at least, she isn't dying inside.

I dive down to the water below and catch fish, eating it with a grimace. Fire and water don't mix, but I have to eat something.

But she has scars. Scars that aren't just on her face, scars that are etched into the fabric of her heart, mind and soul. I don't think there is an inch of her left that isn't scarred in some way.

I sigh and flap my wings, pulling me forward. I look and see my youngest child, a hatchling we've named Neville. He hatched after Maggie left, so she has yet to hear of this. Next to him is his brother Jethro and sister Kylie. Their litter hadn't had a huge survival rate, as the War had lead to the release of magic and poisons and pollution that killed most of the eggs.

The three, week-old hatchlings sleep next to one another just behind my head, curled up in between my scales. They are all similar in color, and the color is a mixture of my blue and Emralda's green. They are all deep teal.

One of them, Jethro, wakes up and chirps at me.

"Hello son," I pause, "You hungry?"

He nods, blinking and chirping at the water. I dive down and grab s small fish and flip it over my head. Jethro catches it in his mouth and begins chewing.

"Hmm. Should I tell you a story?" I pause, "Might as well. We are going to be flying for a while yet."

Jethro climbs onto the top of my head and sits there.

"I'll tell you about your Aunt Maggie, and how she met your namesake, and how she lived for ten years without your Uncle Neville," I smile, "How about that?"

Jethro chirps and settles down between the scales on my head. I look ahead to see vast, endless ocean, and begin my story.

AN: I have now seen DH2 twice and I must say I enjoyed it immensely, despite the changes from the book. The only change that pissed me off/I did not understand why it happened was the Neville/Luna thing, for somewhat obvious reasons. Boo. But other than that I loved it- even the way Neville killed the snake, it was very exciting! And if I had known about the bridge blowing up scene I would have included it because that was such a Maggie moment (first time I watched it I thought nothing of my OC, second time I allowed myself that haha.) Ah well! I'll be watching it many more times I am sure, and I have loads of fun story ideas now. Sigh. When will I have time to write all this...


	20. Ch 1: Adjustment

Ch. 1: Adjustment

_Cause I'm just thinking about us_

_I've been living in a dream about you_

_And now I know you were _

_All I've ever wanted on my mind_

_And if I never see my own reality_

_Well I'm OK to leave it all behind_

_~Living in a Dream by Finger Eleven_

For the first eighteen years of my life, I was asleep.

I grew up, learning to fight for what I believed in, but never thinking it was a skill I would need to know for a real-life situation.

Just before I turned eleven, because my parents could choose for me to be the youngest in the grade or the oldest and they settled on the former, I shipped out to an All-Girl's Witching School and did nothing of interest except get the record number of detentions for a smart mouth and also beat the record on dragon race relays. I got good grades, but I wasn't top of the class- that was my friend Renee Emerson. I graduated, thinking I would continue living my boring old life, doing nothing important, coasting along like always.

Then I went to the UK, fell in love, joined a cause, and helped save the world.

And now I am back in the US, bored, lonely, and asleep.

I haven't left my bedroom since I got back, torn away from my fiancée Neville. I was distraught and I had no urge to socialize or function properly. No urge at all.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was unrecognizable. The color of my hair hadn't changed- dark brown with black and lighter brown highlights- hadn't changed, but instead of being voluminous in its layers that hung partially over my face, it was flat and frizzy from lack of care. My face was scarred beyond belief and rather paler than usual (which was hard to achieve) so that my freckles stood out in greater relief. I had lost weight from stress and lack of eating, though my hourglass figure still remained. I had simply lost more weight in the stomach area, so my middle was smaller while my chest and hips remained the same- curvy. My face, long and oval shaped, was sickly looking as well. Some of the scars along my neck were still red. My teal eyes were dull in the mirror. I looked down at myself and fingered my engagement ring, hot tears forming in my eyes. Everything felt dead and decayed.

"MARGARET!" my father suddenly shouted from the other side of the door, knocking on it loudly, "OPEN THIS DOOR!"

"Why?" I whispered feebly, my voice broken, "What's the point?"

"You haven't left since you came home and that was five days ago! You must be starving!" Elena's voice came through meekly.

"I don't want to eat," I mumbled. It was true. My stomach hadn't even growled.

"That's IT!" my father roared, and suddenly my door was blasted off it's hinges. My father walked forward and pulled me out by my arm, dragging me down the stairs and forcing me at the kitchen table. He shoved a plateful of pancakes at me.

"Eat," he ordered, and even cut one up and forced it through my closed mouth. I reluctantly chewed and swallowed, and just to get him to leave me alone continued to eat slowly. He then walked out of the room and went into the living room next door. I finished eating and he came back out, nodding at me.

"Come on," he ordered gruffly, pulling me into the living room. I was shocked to see the fireplace roaring, though it was early September, and a very familiar round face inside of it- the face I had been longing for for five days. His was even more scarred than mine, and his usually tidy dark brown hair was sticking up everywhere. His brown eyes were as lost as I felt.

Neville Longbottom.

I ran forward and knelt at the fire, tears pouring down my face as I gingerly reached out and held his. He sighed and closed his eyes at my touch.

"I don't know how I'm gonna get through four years of this," I whispered hoarsely, still not letting go of his face.

"Nor do I," Neville paused, "But don't... Don't do what you've been doing. Your father is furious and upset. Please... For me... Live."

I nodded, though grimacing, "What about you?"

"I have been," he answered defensively, "I've been helping Kingsley and Harry."

"What are you doing today?" I asked softly.

"Nothing," he paused, his expression soft.

"Stay for a while?" I begged, pressing my nose against his.

"All day," he whispered, kissing me softly. I broke away and pressed my nose and forehead to him, only partially satisfied as the rest of my body longed for the warmth of his embrace.

"What's Kingsley having you do?" I asked quietly, lying across the carpet on my stomach with my head still pressed against his.

"Mainly go out and capture Death Eaters in hiding," Neville paused, "No one's getting out through bribery this time, and there has to be substantial evidence that they were under the Imperius Curse. Guilty until proven innocent. It's awful, and a terrible offense of justice, but we saw what happened last time- justice didn't really work. It's not like we're locking up innocent bystanders, simply people who we knew to be on the Dark Side or working for Voldemort directly at the ministry. And everyone's getting a trial- there's that at least; no more Sirius Black's."

"How can you tell if someone's been under the Imperius?" I asked curiously.

"We've been using Veritaserum," he paused, "Usually unwelcome and even illegal as a questioning method, but Kingsley's suspended that."

"Any situations you feel were unjust?" I asked, frowning with displeasure at the situation.

"The Malfoys got off- they switched at the last moment and Narcissa is actually the reason Harry managed to stay hidden and corner Voldemort at the battle. So they've been let off, but Kingsley keeps Lucius under close surveillance anyway," Neville smirked, "He has no idea. Though, he certainly isn't walking around with his head high- everyone knows what he was and he keeps quiet in his manor. Narcissa seems to be trying to change though..." he added thoughtfully.

"How so?" I furthered curiously.

"Well when they came to their hearing, Hermione was actually packing up her bag and they were walking past her. Lucius sneered at her and Draco ignored her, but Narcissa actually smiled rather weakly; and when they came out a similar thing happened to Ginny. I suppose she's trying to emphasize her change in temperament," Neville shrugged.

"Ah well," I sighed, "She did help Harry, I guess it's alright."

"Besides them, though, there really isn't anyone from the Dark side who's getting off. Snape's received a full posthumous pardon, thought you'd like to know," he said with a smile. Tears filled my eyes and I nuzzled him happily.

"And the ministry? Souring out the corruption?" I asked, resting my chin in my hands but still pressing my cheek against his.

"Slowly, but yes," Neville rolled his eyes, "There are a lot of deeply-rooted pureblood-favoring laws that we have to sort out. Hermione is having a field day, though- Kinglsey is working hard to help remove wand carrier laws, cause House Elves should get wands, and Goblins have been begging for years."

"That's great!" I laughed, "I can only imagine how happy she is."

"Beaming almost every day," Neville chuckled, "Cause Ron is obviously making her downright giddy. Its rather amusing, actually."

"I can imagine," I rolled my eyes, "And how is everyone else getting along? Ginny? Harry? Seamus?"

"Well, Seamus, Dean and I are getting a flat together in London- we've even picked it out and signed a lease," Neville gave a sort of half smile, "I wish I was living with you, though."

"I know," I whispered, kissing him softly, "I know." We kissed a few more times and I became fairly lightheaded before he pulled back.

"I... I uhm..." he laughed breathlessly.

"Cleared your head?" I asked cheerfully. He nodded and I kissed him again, and again, and again- as if there was no tomorrow.

"Oh God um-" Neville breathed between kisses, "Oh..." kiss, "I was, uh..." kiss, "I was uh," kiss, "Going to..." kiss, "To..." kiss, "Bloody hell," kiss, "What does it matter?"

He kissed me back as vigorously as he could from his rather immobile position. I moaned slightly into his mouth and continued to kiss him back, ignorant of the passage of time or the movement of my family in the house, though I was sure one of them must have seen us. I wished his hands could come through- caress me- hold me- but only his head was allowed.

"Ohh," I moaned softly when I pulled back once again, still lightheaded, "Oh... Nev..."

"Shh, love," Neville whispered breathlessly, "Or you dad will have my head."

"You've no idea..." I swallowed, "You've no idea how much I've craved you these past five days."

"I think I have some idea," he paused, "It must be somewhat similar to how I've craved you."

I groaned and kissed him more heavily, and we were both finding it harder and harder to contain the little noises that escaped our throats.

He sighed and broke away from me, pressing his nose to mine, "I... I don't want..."

"What?" I asked softly, tracing his cheek with my fingernails gently.

"It's already eight o'clock over here," he mumbled mournfully, "I... I have to wake up at five tomorrow..."

"When do you want to go to sleep?" I whispered, "I understand."

"I don't want to go to sleep," Neville shook his head, "I don't want to leave you again."

"No," I ordered fervently, "You'll get enough sleep to do your job. Eight hours. So we have just one more hour."

"But..." he sighed.

"No. So how'r Ginny and Harry?" I asked cheerfully, though my heart was deeply broken.

"Good," Neville smiled slightly, "They are already making plans for after Ginny finishes school... Honestly they'll probably get married soon."

I swallowed and kissed him again to hide the sad expression on my face- the expression that showed how much I wished it could be us that were getting married soon.

He kissed me back without a word, probably to emphasize that he too was thinking along those lines.

"I'll floo again tomorrow," he mumbled softly, "If that's OK."

"Yeah," I nodded, "Every day it's possible, we should..."

"And... And I... I don't want to- I wish... Please. Don't stop living on my account."

I nodded again, "I'll try." We continued kissing until the clock struck the hour and I forced him away.

"I love you," I whispered. He nodded and mumbled, "I love you too," and in a flash of green flames was gone.

I did live, after that. Thailus and I spent most of the days flying together in preparation for the Academy, though, we didn't need much. Around and bobbing between trees we flew, him shouting at the top of his lungs. I even found myself overcome with joys at times, though not nearly as often as him. We trained in flight based combat in the Appalachian mountains, though never for very long- we had field experience and besides that, we didn't want to get seen or caught and be in even more trouble. And in the mornings, Neville and I would floo, talking and kissing, sometimes one more than the other or the other more than one.

A month after getting back- two weeks before the Academy started- I was feeling rather ill, and I looked it when Neville flooed. My face was pale from nausea and I had sweat on my brow from the effort of vomiting.

"Hi sweet-" Neville stopped his greeting at the sight of me, "Wha's wrong?"

"Nothing," I whispered, wiping off my forehead with the back of my hand, "Nothing, I swear."

"I mean this in the nicest way possible- you look awful," Neville murmured, "Just tell me..."

"I have the stomach flu, tha's all," I mumbled, "Nothin' serious."

"You sure?" he asked with concern, "You aren't just hiding it so I won't walk through?"

"Positive," I nodded fervently, "Don't worry. Um... How'r you?"

"Fine," Neville paused, still looking concerned, "We're still rounding up Death Eaters but it's getting slower every day- we're nearing the end. Soon I'll get to do Herbology research at the Ministry."

"That's good!" and we reentered our usual conversation, though he still eyed me wearily.

The next day I was sitting in the library reading a book, just having finished another worry-filled Neville floo (I was still feeling off-color.) Elena came running into the room with a pained expression on her face.

"Ugh, Maggie?" she asked in annoyance.

"Yeah Elena?" I answered, not looking up from my book.

"Do you have any tampons? Mine are all gone," she sighed, "I forgot to buy them last time I was out."

"Yeah but don't use them all up, I should be getting mine any day now and I'd rather not be caught by surprise," I informed lightly. She shouted a word of thanks but my mind was plunged into shock.

When was my last period? It had been a while... Actually, probably when I was still in Britain... Yeah, it had been, since Nev and I had discovered the joys that cuddling brought in all honesty... Yeah... That week hadn't really been so bad... I missed the way his hair felt-

Wait.

That was six weeks ago!

I felt my heart start to race uncontrollably as I tried to rationalize it in my head. I had irregular periods all the time, from stress and such. All the emotion from Neville's absence was probably just... But I had been remarkably stress-free in all honesty, no work and no school...

Did we... The night before I left had been so emotion-high... Were we paying attention enough every time to cast the appropriate enchantments? Did we remember every time? I couldn't remember, it wasn't exactly what my mind had been on at the time...

I stood up, my heart pounding, and pulled on my shoes and grabbed my purse to go to the drug store. Just a precaution... I had to erase the worry from my mind, was all...

I ignored the funny look- the insulting look- the cashier gave me. I didn't really have time to be embarrassed by this. I went home, trying to not panic, thinking calmly that this was just a little test, it would be fine I...

Oh.

Oh shit.

Oh mother f***ing God...

Shit.

I looked at the little stick with the plus sign, my face expressionless. This... This couldn't be happening... It just... Couldn't...

I swallowed and felt my hand start to shake. I was a rider. This wasn't just one baby. It was two at least and more likely than that more. Seven, probably. Oh my God, I couldn't take care of seven babies and work at the same time!

What would Neville say?

Shit.

If... If anything would ever make him come through...

I knew- knew, yes, there was no doubt- that he'd never abandon me, even without the link- that wasn't the issue.

The need, the instinct to protect- to care for me- that was the problem. If I told him, he wouldn't even think- he'd walk through the fire, just on instinct, just to hold me, just to tell me it'd be OK an we would get through this together.

And then we'd never get to see each other again.

Now I started to cry. I'd have to do this alone, the way no rider was ever meant to. That's why we had the link, so we could take care of the kids together, so it wouldn't be a burden when there was seven of them.

And I had to do this alone.

It went against my very nature- it was foreign- unheard of. I was never supposed to have to do the single mom thing; that was one possible future that never was supposed to plague me.

And for four years! Four years at least- never mind the time I'd have to take off to care for the children! More time- oh God- how was I supposed to hide them from Neville when our sentence was extended due to maternity leave? How was I going to get through this with my future intact?

I would be alone.

I stood up and walked into the kitchen where my dad was cooking, humming softly. I didn't say anything, nor even look at him- I just stuck the stick on a paper towel and onto the counter, staring at my feet.

Silence.

I continued to stare at my feet, unable and unwilling to watch my father fume like always.

But then I was completely, utterly surprised by his arms wrapping around me and pulling me into a hug.

"This is out of character for you," I muttered hoarsely, holding to my father tightly.

"What good will yelling do this time?" my dad responded, "Elena taught me a lesson the last time I yelled at you for something that couldn't be changed and this time it's going to be harder for you, not for me. You need me to understand a bit more this time."

I sobbed and held him tighter, "Daddy... Daddy what am I gonna do?"

He soothed me and rubbed my back, "We'll figure it out, I promise."

I pulled back from the hug, "I can't tell him and that means I'm alone!"

"You're not alone," my dad answered gruffly, "I am here."

"You work," I pointed out.

"I was waiting to tell you and Elena this," he paused, "But I am no longer going to man the shop directly. I've hired a salesperson so I can manage the business from home and relax in my old age. Now I'm also a babysitter- the best grandpa of all time."

"There's going to be a million of them," I whispered tearfully, "And the Academy- my sentence- getting back to him..."

"I'll be making a call to the Academy straightaway," my father responded grimly, "If they won't allow you to go through training pregnant, when with magic the effects are mitigated- the belly, the sickness, the swollenness- in certain situations when it's necessary- I'll eat a hypogriff. You're too good a fighter and the pregnancy itself will mean they won't want to delay your sentence. People have gone through the Academy pregnant before, I know because my mother did when she was pregnant with me, and it's ended OK. You will get through this," he looked straight into my eyes, "I promise."

I nodded, but still with a deadweight in my heart.

AN: I know the dad semi quitting work is somewhat deus ex machina, but he is getting on in years- he was older than their mom- and it's important that Maggie go through the Academy on time. Plus, it's effing twins- she gets some help. I love reviews passionately- desperately- needfully. I wish reviews would ask me out on a date, even. Jk. But you get the point. Also, in the next few chapters there are going to be multiple references to something new that has happened in the beginning of the story- aka the real reason Snape and Maggie trusted each other- and it's really important that you go back and read the early chapters to understand, because otherwise you'll be really confused. Yaaaaaaay...


	21. Ch 2: The Academy

Ch. 2: The Academy

_It takes a lot to be always on form_

_It takes a lot_

_I maybe not, all the time all I've got_

_Maybe not_

_Been one of those days, safety first don't push_

_What's the hurry? _

_One nerve remaining, waiting on one look… have you got it? _

_~ Have you Got it In You by Imogen Heap_

The Academy was in the middle of nowhere. The Arizona desert didn't lend itself to comfortable conditions, and as such I knew I would be roughing it early on. As I walked up to the assortment of Unplottable, Secret-Kept log cabins in the middle of the wasteland, I felt beads of sweat form on my forehead and I hitched my backpack up a little to make it more comfortable. Thailus was already at the Academy; dragons had to come first for their own training, which took longer.

I sighed and paused for a moment on the rocky hill, looking down at my red converse and sighing. The concealment charms had already been placed on my womb and I wouldn't show any signs of pregnancy whatsoever as long as I continuously reapplied them.

It almost seemed too good to be true, and at the same time, most horrible. Perhaps, if there was no way to alleviate the pregnancy, I would be let off and allowed to go home…

And maybe I'm a hopeless optimist.

I swallowed and continued up the hill and entered the Academy, panting a little with the effort. The charms had their drawbacks- I acted as if I were at the end of my pregnancy, easily exhaustible and extraordinarily delicate, and suffered weird cravings. I still had morning sickness and, if I wasn't careful in the application of the charms, I could hurt the babies, which wouldn't make me happy. At all.

I walked up to the front desk and adjusted my backpack again, trying hard to not seem too out of breath- I didn't want to be put through more training because I seemed out of shape when I really wasn't. The manager behind the desk, an elderly wizard who looked like he'd been through hell, looked up at me.

"Name," he muttered lazily, shuffling the pages in front of him. His voice was gritty and Southern.

"Margaret Natalie Johnson," I answered, shifting my weight from foot to foot and wondering when it would be OK to floo Nev…

He pulled out a rather thick file- thicker than the others- and nodded.

"You're in cabin 134, with Kylie Bundy. We recommend you tell her of your… _condition_," he paused, "But you shouldn't tell anyone else."

"Um," I mumbled, "Do the counselors know?"

"Yes," he looked mildly amused, "Did you _want_ them thinking you were ill-prepared?"

"No," I answered, "No, of course not."

"You also have floo powder in your room," he added casually, "Like anyone who has already… paired up, as it were. Don't spread it around, though, or all the single trainees will demand they have it too."

I nodded in understanding and took off towards the cabins, which were in a different building on the other edge of the compound. I wondered, briefly, where the dragons were being kept; Thailus answered my mental question.

_We're across from the Mess Hall_, Thailus grumbled, _which is in between the girls dorm and the boys dorm. Find me when you've settled in, chuck._

I agreed mentally and walked into the girl dormitory, finding room 134 on the first floor and opening it gingerly. On one of the beds sat a pale girl, with thick, dark red hair that went down to her waist. She had bright blue eyes and freckles everywhere and I wondered, briefly, if she were Irish. She reminded me of Seamus.

"Hi!" she greeted brightly, leaping up and shaking my hand, "You must be Margaret?"

"Maggie," I corrected mildly, putting my bag down on the unoccupied bed and looking over wearily at the fireplace next to it, the desk in between the beds, and the window in front of the desk.

"I'm Kylie," she continued, "They don't say much about roommates, do they? All rather mysterious…"

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling slightly, "So, uhh… tell me about yourself?" My question must have ended on a high, uncertain note, because she laughed again.

"Yes, this is all awkward, I can totally tell," she paused, "Well, let's see… I was born July 12th, 1979, so I've been on gap for two years now… In all honesty," her voice lowered to whisper, "My mom didn't want me to do the UDRA at all… thought it too dangerous. Had to spend a whole year persuading her! I went to Chicago's Magic Institute, the coed one, I'm sure you've heard of it… Lived in Chicago, actually, so I didn't even live on campus, just walked to school every day. My mom is a witch, but actually, my dad's a muggle, though she told him before they got married…"

"Wait," I paused, now even more familiar with this story, "What heritage are you?"

"Irish," she replied proudly, "On my mom's side. She was born there, moved right before school age. Dad's Welsh and Belgian."

"Do you have cousins over in Ireland? Specifically, one who is also halfblood?" I asked, grinning.

"Yes," she frowned, surprised, "My mom's maiden name is Finnegan… she had a sister who stayed in Ireland with her dad- parents split up, nasty divorce; my mom came here with her mom. Her sister also married a muggle, though she-"

"Neglected to tell her husband until after they were married, and it was a bit of a nasty shock for him?" I replied, grinning wolfishly.

Her eyes widened as she whispered, "How did you know…"

"I'm friends with your cousin," I responded, "Seamus? Met him last year." _He right fancied me for a while, too_.

"Wow!" Kylie gasped, "Really? I've only met him a few times, my mom and aunt were never really that close- how'd you meet him though? Especially last year, with the war and all…?"

"I was in Britain all last year, at Hogwarts actually," I frowned, unwilling to tell my story to an almost complete stranger, "Comparing the education systems… In theory…"

Her eyebrows raised in amusement.

"I suppose I should tell you something about myself, huh?" I smiled slightly, "Well, my name is Margaret Johnson, though as we've gone over, I go by Maggie… I was born September 2nd, 1980, but I finished over a year ago because my parents thought it would be better to make me be one of the youngest in the grade rather than one of the oldest. I'm technically halfblood too, I suppose- my dad's pureblood but my mom was a muggleborn before she died."

"I'm so sorry," Kylie murmured sympathetically. I swallowed and continued, unwilling to waste any time mourning over my mother again.

"I have a younger sister, Elena, who's still at school; we both went to Salem Witches' Academy. My dragon's name is Thailus and he's an azure Montana Thornback…"

"Oh!" Kylie looked apologetic, "Sorry, just- my dragon's name is Amityh and she's a goldenrod Mexican Wyvern. Go on!" She laughed cheerfully and I smiled in response.

"My dad is half Italian, half Norwegian, but my mom was pure English, she was born there and actually moved like your mom, but at a very young age- her accent was American though my grandparents, when they were alive, had London accents. She was a Magical Diplomat, and last year she and I went over to the UK to assess the situation, as it were- it wasn't the first time she had been there, even in recent years, so she thought it was safe… but the government in place assassinated her," I whispered softly, "For being close to Dumbledore, and a muggleborn."

"I'm so sorry," Kylie murmured sadly, "That's awful, purely awful… Go on…"

"So I stayed behind in Great Britain for a year and helped out the resistance movement in Hogwarts," I added casually, as if it were of no importance, "Met some folks… Became good friends with your cousin, actually, and Ginny Weasley and Lu…" I swallowed, "Luna Lovegood…"

"She died, didn't she?" Kylie responded in understanding, "Seamus wrote to us when it was all over, going over the deaths but reassuring that he and his mam were OK…"

"Yeah," I nodded, blinking back tears, "And Lavender Brown, Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Parvati Patil…" Maybe, if I stick his name in the middle, there won't be an emphasis put on it yet.

"Know all those names," Kylie responded proudly, "You keep in touch with them all, yeah? I expect something like that forms some deep friendships…"

I smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I do… I hope to go back, actually, once this whole security blockade lifts."

"Really?" Kylie frowned, "But… Thailus, right? … Won't be allowed in…"

I swallowed and shrugged noncommittally, "He's been there before…"

Kylie's eyes widened, "No."

"Yes," I nodded, hoping she wouldn't continue in a string of disbelief. To my relief, she didn't.

"Well, that's cool," she continued brightly as if nothing odd had been said, "So, d'you think you'll find him here?"

I eyed her curiously, "What?"

"You know," she grinned, "The person you're going to… for lack of a better term, _mate_ with…" she hid her face behind her hand and giggled like a schoolgirl. Considering she was 19, this wasn't necessarily a good thing.

I shook my head, trying to hide my smirk, and started unpacking.

"Why ever not?" Kylie demanded, "Most people do in the UDRA, after all! Dragon riders pairing up with dragon riders and all that."

"Do _you_ think you'll find 'him' here?" I asked with a smirk on my face.

"I hope so," Kylie answered breathlessly, "At least, meet him."

I continued to smirk as I folded my clothes and took out my pot of floo powder, setting it gently on top of the fire place.

"You're allowed to floo?" Kylie asked skeptically.

"Mhm," I nodded, "Special circumstances."

She continued to watch me, amusement and skepticism playing on her features, as I finished unpacking and gingerly placed Neville's picture on the nightstand beside my bed. I fingered my ring delicately and turned back to her. She was looking at the picture, which Neville was now waving out of jovially. Inside my backpack were a few more pictures, some of us, some of the others, and some of us with the others.

"Who's that, then?" Kylie asked, before realizing what she was doing and composing herself, "Sorry, that was rude…"

"Neville," I answered quietly, still playing with the ring automatically. I pulled out the photo album and gingerly set it inside the desk.

A look of dawning comprehension came on Kylie's face. It had to happen sometime- she was in the UDRA, she wasn't stupid.

"Wow," she whispered softly, "So it's him, then?"

I shrugged, swallowing, "Never really thought about it like that, no…"

"What d'you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"I mean," I murmured, "I never really thought 'Oh, I wonder who _he's_ going to be,' and when I met Neville I certainly didn't think 'this is it.' It took me ages to even fancy him!" I swallowed back my British colloquialism, "But yes, I suppose he's 'it,' though that seems like a rather derogatory term to tell you the truth."

"No, no, you're right," Kylie shook her head, her voice suddenly no longer bubbly, "He's a person, not an it… I'm sorry, I just… I've spent my entire life thinking of this as a far-off future, not really _real_ yet… but I suppose you won't be the only one, huh?" she paused, "The only one to have made their choice."

I nodded, "Yeah… Anyone who has a fireplace in their cabin, actually, will have… Or at least, one of the roommates…"

"Does he know?" Kylie asked softly.

"Yes," I reassured, "Yeah, I told him about it before we'd even gotten together, actually… he was always very curious about American magic…"

"Wait, you _told_ him?" Kylie gasped, "And you didn't get into trouble?"

"'Course I did," I rolled my eyes, "I have three years mandatory service on the UDRA, honestly, I'm surprised that's all I got off with…"

"But… But that's four years without him," Kylie murmured.

I shrugged, though more tears pricked behind my eyes and I hastily wiped them away, "Yeah… Um, I should tell you something else, too, 'cause the guy at the front desk told me to…"

"Well, you're engaged," Kylie nodded at the ring, "Can tell that bit right away…"

I laughed nervously and continued to rub the ring, looking over at Neville's picture. He nodded at me encouragingly.

"I'm… I'm pregnant," I whispered hoarsely.

Kylie's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, "No!"

I rolled my eyes, "Really? Again?"

She swallowed, "Sorry, sorry… Woah… How are you going to go through training?"

"I have a concealment charm on me," I explained, "No one will ever know, except the instructors and you… So you really can't tell anyone, we're trying to keep this quiet…"

"Why?" Kylie asked, "People get knocked up all the time."

"The children of Neville and I will probably be marked by Death Eaters, for one," I paused, "Two, I don't want any enemies of the UDRA to find them and hurt them, four, Neville can't know, or he'll come over here and break our ban, so that means no one else over in the UK can know, and three, I want to be treated as, basically, normal here… The kids aren't due till after we graduate."

Kylie nodded, "Well, your secret is safe with me! Want to go find the dragons?"

I consented, and we strolled out into the brilliant desert sun.

The weeks progressed and turned into months; everything felt extraordinarily hazy and hot. I continued using the concealment charm, though sometimes when I was particularly tired and just alone in my room, I would remove the charm and watch my quickly growing pregnant belly, tears in my eyes as I would flip through photographs: Me and Neville, arms around each other, kissing and dancing in the gardens; Neville, Seamus and I making a human pyramid and falling down, laughing hysterically; Neville sneaking up behind me and hugging me around the middle; Ginny and Harry kissing underneath a tree while I sit perched on top of it, ready to drop acorns; Hermione and Ron and Neville arguing, Seamus laughing in the background; the group of us- all of my friends and me- in a giant crowd, Neville's hand gingerly resting on my waist…

I flipped to another photograph that struck me for a moment. It was me, Harry and Hermione, laughing in front of Hagrid's hut. I couldn't even remember why the photo had been taken. What struck me was how similar I looked to both of them.

_Strange_, I thought in mild amusement, looking at my nose that was almost identical to Hermione's (slightly upturned,) my eye shape that was identical to Harry's (almond,) my face that was the same roundness (slightly) as hers…

I frowned and flipped over the book to look at the next photograph, one of me and Neville Ron and Hermione and Harry and Ginny, all being couple-y and cute.

Three months into training, and thus four into my pregnancy, I went down to the Healing Office to check up on the children's progress, and to find out how many there were. I didn't remove the charms until I was perfectly hidden from view, looking over at the Healer with a pained expression on my face as my belly reappeared, now rather large.

"I really don't want to know," I whispered hoarsely.

"There, there, dear," she murmured kindly, helping me sit down on the bed, "It will be fine. Now, just relax…"

She waved her wand over me and looked at me with a smile that was amazingly reassuring. She continued to do so for a few more minutes as I stared up at the ceiling, wishing I could go back and look at my book of photos or study my text: _Combat with your Dragon: Avoiding Torn Wings and Slit Fingers_. There was an exam tomorrow and I was terrified.

"Well, dear, you'll be pleased to know that they are completely healthy," the healer smiled happily, "The charm has done no damage whatsoever."

I breathed a sigh of relief; the last thing I needed was the charm not going right and I being condemned to walking around like a whale.

"And, you'll also be happy to know that you are only carrying twins," she finished, beaming. I burst into tears. _Only twins, only twins! Halleluiah, only twins!_

"Yes, yes, I can imagine your relief," the healer nodded, "Taking care of three, four, seven babies all by yourself… But I am absolutely positive there are only two."

I sobbed in thanks and stood up, putting back on the enchantments and leaving the office. I still felt sore, I still felt alone- but I only had to take care of two babies by myself, as opposed to seven.

I reached the cabin- it was an off period- and found Kylie wasn't there. I grabbed the pot of floo powder and wiped off my eyes. I just needed to talk to him… I couldn't tell him _why_ I was happy, but I could talk to him…

I stuck my head in the whirling green flames and found myself staring at the messy living room of Seamus, Neville and Dean's flat. Dean was watching the telly they had put in, cheering on the West Ham soccer team. Seamus watching as well, though he looked positively bored with the singular ball and lack of brooms. And there was Neville, drinking a butterbeer and cheering on the players appreciatively- always the good friend.

"Oy!" Seamus called, glad to be provided with distraction, "Oi, Maggie!"

"Hey Seamus," I grinned sheepishly.

"Is my worthless excuse for a cousin about?" he asked, though he was smiling- since this strange, small-world coincidence had occurred the two had gotten very close.

"Nah, probably flying with Amityh," I shook my head, "Sorry mate."

He shrugged but grinned as Neville basically flew to sit in front of me, and his lips were on mine in an instance.

"OI!" both Dean and Seamus groaned.

"I was talkin' to 'er!" Seamus grumbled as I returned Neville's kiss eagerly.

"I'm tryin' to watch the match! Important game!" Dean protested, gesticulating wildly.

When a small sound escaped from _someone's_ throat- probably mine- they both threw up their hands and left the flat, Dean mumbling about going down to a muggle pub and Seamus mumbling about visiting Lavender.

Never before- seriously, though, not in all four months we had been separated- had I needed to come through the fire _this much_ and shag him _senseless_.

I broke away forcibly, trying to regain something of myself- I couldn't let this ruin everything.

"Hey," he greeted breathlessly.

"Hey," I laughed, nuzzling my nose with his.

"I haven't told you I love you in days," he accused softly, "Too much training?"

"Yeah," I answered apologetically, "It's been crazy. Relays every day. Thailus wants to vomit all over Kibs," the name of the trainer for flying exercises, "But I've told him no."

"It's OK," Neville murmured sadly, kissing every inch of my face, "Love you. Love you. Love you."

"I love you too," I laughed weakly, closing my eyes as our foreheads pressed together, "Love you too."

"You doin' alright, though?" Neville asked, "Keepin' up with your training? Not letting everything get in the way?"

"Brilliantly," I answered, _you seriously have no idea how well_, "Trust me."

"Good," Neville nodded, "I expect you to pass with top marks."

I laughed weakly and kissed him again, "You're a sweetheart."

Neville chuckled, "Correction. _Your_ sweetheart."

I giggled, in my uncharacteristic manner, and nodded, "Always."

"Any news?" Neville asked cheerfully, "That you can tell me, anyway."

I shrugged, "Nothing… I'm as happy as I can be under the circumstances, is all I can say."

"Good," Neville nodded, "Good. I want you to be happy. More than anything else."

"So you don't want me to be miserable because I'm not with you?" I asked, jokingly. Neville's eyes narrowed.

"If we were normal… In a normal relationship, I mean… I'd rather you were happy under any circumstances. If these circumstances didn't involve me, I'd want you to pick that," Neville paused, "I'd want your happiness over mine."

We spent quite a few more moments snogging each other's faces of in response to these words before I found myself able to think rationally again.

"Same on this side," I whispered huskily, feeling my heart pound in my ribcage and a swooping sensation in my rather cramped abdomen, "Anything that makes you happy is what you should have. Even if you were to leave me, be with someone else, I'd want that. Because you'd be happy."

More snogging furiously ensued, plus some other things that _could_ be done with only my head in the fireplace. Luckily, the match was still on, and we were in complete privacy.

"So," I continued breathlessly as we resumed nuzzling each other, "Any news with you?"

"Clean up is going well," Neville affirmed, "There are still a few Death Eaters at large, but the general public is beginning to relax; Kingsley reckons we're at the end of it now."

"That's great!" I grinned, "And then you'll be doing plant research?"

"For St. Mungo's," Neville nodded, "Kingsley decided I'd be of better use there. Not sure what I'll be researching yet, but it should be good, eh?"

"Excellent," I agreed, kissing him softly, wishing I could run my fingers through my hair as he was doing to mine, "Simply excellent. Not going to lie- I'll breathe easier once you're no longer in harm's way."

"Imagine how it's going to be for me!" Neville laughed, though his voice shook, "Three years of you on the squad! Not knowing what you're up to because you're protecting me!"

"We'll get through it," I affirmed strongly, "And then…"

"Pure, unadulterated bliss," Neville beamed, "I was going to ask… We've basically been through the entirety of our wedding already. Granted, we'll change our minds over the next four years, but… again, as a starting point, like with the wedding… How many?"

"Wha'?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"Kids," Neville clarified, beaming but blushing furiously, "How many d'you want?"

"Oh!" I felt my face burn and my heart race, _well, two, at least…_

He watched me expectantly, completely unaware- as I intended- how much this question affected me.

"Well, it really isn't up to us," I finally decided, knowing I was being rather lame, "We could only get pregnant once and have seven kids and be done with it."

Neville rolled his eyes, "Fine, fine… do you have an ideal?"

"Just tell me what yours is," I grinned.

"I'd… I'm kinda glad you have this whole Dragon Rider thing," Neville was flushing as furiously as me now, "I've always… I've always wanted a Weasley size family. Lots of kids so they can be friends with each other, cheerful, loud and crazy…"

"Basically," I grinned slyly, "The exact opposite of how you grew up: quiet, misunderstood by adults, and alone."

He blushed but nodded. I kissed him again and he groaned into my mouth.

"I don't mind that, actually," I paused, "My dad's side of the family didn't have very many kids, and my mom didn't really know anything at all about hers or her relatives… so it wasn't like there were ever huge family gatherings. And I love Elena deeply, but it would have been fun sometimes to have someone else to talk to. A brother or something. So yeah… lots of kids would be good."

Neville, who was now smiling as wide as he had when I had first told him I loved him, kissed me again. I felt a minor warmth surge in my heart over the idea that I would be bringing home two kids when I saw him again… I no longer really feared that he would be upset. Upset I didn't tell him, yes. Over the children themselves? No.

I collapsed into my bed, gazing at his beaming and waving picture, the largest of smiles on my usually unhappy face.

All good things must come to an end.

AN: I keep having frustratingly low reviews for this story and it drives me mental… Last chapter my usual reviewers didn't review, but I still had some, so it was OK… It's getting a bunch of hits, is it really that hard to press the review link? Ah well. Please review! The boring bits will end soon- heheheh. Again- I LOVE REVIEWS!


	22. Ch 3: Flirting with Disaster

Ch. 3: Flirting With Disaster

_Take me _

_From this world_

_Save me_

_What if we _

_All die young? _

_~Worth Dying For by Rise Against_

It was getting harder and harder to cope with my swelling womb as the months of camp dragged on. During those classes we had that were primarily theory and history based, I found myself relieved to be sitting down in a comfortable chair with a book in front of me. When we were outside doing practical training, I wanted to cry, even though I usually loved that just as much- if not more- than theory.

The weeks were long, but at least rather evenly dispersed between the two. Mondays featured History of Dragon Riding in the morning, with Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon and evening (practical in the afternoon, theory in the evening.) I would find myself pouring over notes at my bed as Neville watched me in amusement from the fire, looking over my shoulder as I would study for my exams on dragon-linked countercurses or the Brazilian-American Dragon War of 1882.

"You study as hard as Hermione, you do," Neville commented one evening, after I was done with class, as I curled up in front of the fire, his head sticking out of it. My notecards with dates about the war and important new discoveries made during it were scattered around me and color-coded properly.

"I always have," I remarked casually, my eyes zooming over the lines on one of the notecards. Even though humans and dragons had been bonding in the Americas for thousands of years, new things that the bond brought to the partners were discovered quite frequently, and during the Brazilian-American War the fact that the human could breathe fire was discovered- quite important- and I was trying to stick the date (August 3rd, 1882) in my head.

"No, but I mean… I dunno, you never struck me as the bookworm type, though you would always be honest and say you did well in school when I asked," Neville grinned lopsidedly and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… I love reading and learning," I paused, flipping over the notecard and beaming when I had the answer right, "But it's not my primary instinct, y' know? If I have to choose between learning what I'm told to or fighting against it 'cause I think it's wrong, I'll pick the latter. I'm more rebellious than bookish."

"Figured that out the day I met you," Neville muttered playfully. I flicked his forehead and tried to memorize the date of the battle of Rio.

Tuesdays were filled with Anatomy and Physiology of Dragons (a human-only class; at the same time dragons would be taking Anatomy and Physiology of Humans,) in the morning, with Flight Training Theory in the afternoon and Practical Flight Training in the evening. Pouring over diagrams of the differences in the skeletal systems between two-legged dragons (called, officially, 'Wyverns,') four-legged dragons (like Thailus,) and two-legged two-armed dragons next to Kylie, I would often find myself frustrated with the outpouring of technical detail.

"What's the _difference_ between four-legged and two-legged two-armed?" I groaned in exasperation.

"Two-armed have shorter limbs, y'know, like T-Rex," Kylie answered lazily, studying her notes on the flight dynamics of Wyverns in high altitudes.

"Other than that they're _exactly the same_," I grumbled, staring at the puny arms of the Los Angeles Diamond Tail.

"Some have longer arms too," Kylie continued like I hadn't spoken, "They can be used for climbing on the sides of cliff-faces, but the ones with shorter arms have to act like Wyverns and use their wings."

I sighed, realizing that she was picking up on an important point- the fact that this meant that shorter-armed two-armed dragons would have stronger wing structure than the longer-armed ones, who would have stronger arm structure.

"It's really interesting evolution when you think about it… Wyvern to short arm to long arm to leg," Kylie finished, piling up her notes and neatly tucking them into her rucksack… I mean backpack…

"And complex," I sighed, staring at the list of wing and arm bones, my brow moderately furrowed in concentration.

Wednesdays were comprised of mainly practical, which made it a hard day for me. Mornings involved cooperative Flight-and-Ground training (easy adjustment between fighting on your dragon and fighting separately from your dragon,) afternoons Dragon-Influenced Hand Magic Theory, and evenings Dragon-Influenced Hand Magic Training. I hated the mornings most especially: it was the one morning a week when I had to immediately wake up and do physical activity, and as I got more and more heavily pregnant the more and more difficult this became.

One particularly hard Wednesday morning (my feet had started to swell; the enchantment only applied to my womb and my feet and breasts were growing visibly, though, I didn't really complain about the breast bit- I enjoyed the look on Neville's face sometimes when I caught him staring, though he never asked what was going on,) I found myself standing alongside some of my fellow Riders-in-Training. We were playing a game somewhat like capture-the-flag: we were to use all the defensive curses and maneuvers in our arsenal, though nothing that would cause lasting damage to another, to try and capture the golden egg that lay on one end of the forest. At the same time, a golden egg that was in our protection would be on the other side of the forest. As a team of dragons and riders, we would try and capture the other team's egg whilst protecting ours. Multiple games were going on at one time, as the forest was vast; this allowed for there to be five partnerships on a team.

Kylie looked at me sympathetically as I gently massaged my foot, grimacing as I walked towards the rest of our team. There were three blokes on the team we had been put on, with three large and brightly colored dragons standing behind them. One was very tall, with dark skin, broad shoulders and curly black hair. Another was Native American looking (we had a high proportion of them in the program compared to the proportion in the population, seeing as they were the original Dragon Riders they were naturally inclined towards it) guy, who was rather short, his black hair tied into a pony tail that reminded me of Bill Weasley. The last one also had black hair, but it was cropped into a buzz-cut; he was almost as tall as the dark one and had tanned skin. The dragons consisted of an orange, four-legged variety with few horns, a bright purple Wyvern with spikes on every inch of his or her skin, and a teal four-legged that looked like Thailus' cousin.

"Hey!" the tall dark one called, grinning a brilliantly white smile at us. Kylie immediately turned as red as her hair, reminding me of the Weasleys for the second time that day. The Native American bloke scowled, and the tan one rolled his eyes. I snapped my gum and folded my arms across my chest.

"And who are you two lovely ladies?" the tall one asked, trying to be charming no doubt.

"I-I'm Kylie," she whispered, "And this is Maggie."

"Pleasure to meet you, Kylie and Maggie!" the tall one stepped forward and kissed her hand, and then mine- I felt my eyes narrow.

"What's your name?" Kylie asked breathlessly. I shot her a glare out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm Richard Jenkins," he answered pompously, "At your service. Over here's Ezra Henders," he pointed to the Native American, who merely nodded, "And Gerald Bharvgara," he managed a small smile. "Ezra's my roommate, and Gerald has a room nextdoor. That orange dragon's my partner, Najhi," he pointed, "The purple is Ezra's, Genito," again, the finger moved, "And the teal's Quincy."

Kylie smiled weakly, "My partner is the yellow, Amityh. Maggie's the blue, Thailus."

"Pleased to meet you," Thailus responded, though gruffly. I thanked him mentally for his saving my lack of politeness.

"Well!" Richard said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them in excitement, "Shall we get cracking, then?"

Gerald snorted and walked over to Quincy, mounting him without a word. Ezra glared briefly, almost imperceptibly, at Richard before walking over to Genito and gently patting his scales, which flashed in the brilliant sunlight. I gently massaged my foot again, Kylie patting my shoulder.

"You alright?" Richard asked, though in a rather self-righteous tone that I didn't appreciate.

"Yeh," I muttered, "Feet hurt, 's all."

"Happens to the best of us!" he exclaimed, beaming. I kind of wanted to slap him.

"You have a bit of a British accent," he continued, not realizing my silence wasn't from pain or shyness (like Kylie's) but from lack of inclination to continue the conversation.

"Tha's a bit new," I mumbled, straightening up and fighting the urge to massage my stomach- it would look weird when it was flat, after all.

"Oh?" Richard furthered, and I wanted to spit out that it was really none of his business why I had a slight accent (or why, though it had been months since I was in Britain, I was so desperate to hold onto it.)

"She lived abroad last year," Kylie supplied, and I mentally thanked her for her kindness.

"Really? In the war?" Richard continued skeptically, an amused smirk on his face.

"Yes," I spat, walking up to him and staring him down, trying to intimidate him, "Or did you think these scars were fashion statements? C'mon," I turned to Kylie, "Let's get ready."

We both mounted our dragons without another word to Richard. I was determined to prove that I had seen action, and could fight- even though I was in the sixth month of my pregnancy.

The whistle blew, and we were off. Thailus flew up high, scanning down below, before zooming straight at a large Wyvern, colored deep red, without a rider. The Wyvern roared and Thailus began to fight with her, his teeth and claws flashing in the sunlight as her tail whipped out of nowhere and slashed his thigh. I turned about and healed the wound before shooting a curse straight at the dragon's eyes, making back away, confunded. Thailus zoomed toward the opposite side, roaring angrily and diving at top speeds. We swooped towards the nest, but there was a configuration of dragons and riders guarding it- time and time again we tried to penetrate their defenses, but without luck. The golden egg gleamed in the sun.

Thailus doubled back and I landed smoothly and silently on my feet in the forest, nodding to him. We could hear the rest of our team fighting in the woods to defend _our_ egg. Thailus flew ahead, distracting the guard of the egg; everyone was fighting him and nothing seemed to bring him down. I sneaked around, trying to find a hole in their circle; they had spared very little people to go and capture our own egg.

"Hey!" a husky voice whispered behind me. I jumped a little and turned to see Gerald, sans Quincy.

"Quinc is going to help Thailus," Gerald nodded as a huge teal dragon came zooming out of nowhere and joined Thailus, fire spreading everywhere as the wizards and witch present tried to douse it with Aguamenti.

"Cool, let's find a way around here," I muttered, and we inched our way through the undergrowth.

"Sorry 'bout Rich and Ezra, by the way," Gerald continued conversationally, "Rich thinks he's the biggest player on campus, and Ezra… Ezra has a bit of you-took-our-land fury."

"Really?" I asked in amazement, "I mean, I could tell about Richard, but Ezra…"

"Well I mean, it's not like he's alone, you know? Lots of Native American wizards and witches get annoyed with the rest of us for using hand magic, or dragon riding, 'cause they think it's 'their thing.' Ezra isn't all bad, though, he's just also annoyed with Richard for flirting with anything that has a vagina."

I almost snorted loudly, which would have given away our position; luckily, I covered up my mouth and we continued our circling.

"Not like he can act on it, though," I whispered, "Why'd he become a Rider if he's a…"

"Douche?" Gerald offered, frowning at the seemingly impenetrable defense, "Well, as long as he doesn't _love_ the girl he should be fine, right? Love's a pretty strong emotion; I highly doubt he's felt anything deeper than pride at being first at the Las Vegas Wizarding School. He's already screwed some chicks across the way, them thinking 'oh, he loves me, he's going to be the one,' only to realize in the morning that he didn't feel anything and no bond was formed."

"Pig!" I hissed angrily.

"Yeah. I've known him for a while, though… I went to LVWS too. You get used to it," Gerald stopped frowning, put a finger to his lips, and pointed- Thailus was effectively distracting two dragons and the witch to make them break far enough away from the nest. Gerald and I ran forward, wands out, shooting curses as I sprinted and grabbed the egg.

We still needed to get it to our side, and I shouted at Thailus. Luckily, he was quite good at picking me up from the ground, and had grabbed me gingerly round the middle and flew easily across the forest. Curses came our way and I shot some in return behind us as the other team began the pursuit, wind whipping through our wings and hair. Finally, though I felt a stinging jinx hit my leg and had to hold tightly to Thailus for support, we reached our side and landed. I scrambled forward, dodging curses, and put the egg in our already full nest.

"WINNER!" the instructor shouted, and Kylie cheered, running up to hug me. Thailus landed and roared briefly in triumph before cleaning his scales.

"Good job team!" Gerald said, landing himself, grinning.

"Well done, well done. We're done before any of the other groups! I must say, my _wand work_ was superb… it always is…" Richard spouted off, a mischievous glint in his eye, but Ezra cut him off.

"You barely did anything. Gerald, Maggie, Thailus and Quincy did all the work," Ezra snapped, his voice quite deep.

"Well, Rich helped a lot against Val and Bettie," Kylie nodded at the two witches from the opposing team who had been assaulting our nest; Val smiled back at Kylie but Bettie glared at Richard from the corner of her eye. I wondered, briefly, if she had been among the number of hoodwinked girls.

"Maggie did most of the work, though," Gerald piped up.

"It could have been you," I smiled kindly at him, my first true smile of the day, "You got there as easily as me; you just fended of Greg, Idris and Sam so I could sneak past. _You_ did all the work back there."

"I smell wedding bells," Richard said slyly. Kylie and I both glared at him, which was surprising on her part, and Gerald rolled his eyes. As we left, Richard's eyes seemed to follow the back of my head like a lighthouse search light.

Thursdays weren't as bad as Wednesdays, though they also consisted of more practical than theory- it was just that the practical wasn't in the morning. Mornings were Natural History of Dragons (which often crossed into Anatomy and Physiology of Dragons and vice-versa; dragons during this time had Natural History of Humans.) Afternoons consisted of Sans-Dragon Fight Training, and so did the evenings: dragons had Sans-Human Fight Training during those slots. These were very important times, however- fighting completely without one's dragon was one of the hardest skills to learn, as I had experienced already.

I was sitting by the fire with Neville and Kylie, Neville's head poking through as he supplied details to my story that I was relaying to Kylie. She looked rather upset, but I didn't press it. It had been a few weeks since the Capture-the-Egg game, and while Gerald had become a good friend to the both of us, Ezra and Richard were two faces I tried to avoid.

"Well I mean, it was just chaos, wasn't it?" I looked over at Neville, gently touching his forehead.

"Pure chaos," Neville nodded, "And Maggie definitely looked like she had no clue where she was or what she was doing at some moments. The longest bout of clarity for her was when she was fighting Rodolphus, but that seemed to sap her of all her clarity… it wasn't long after that that she called Thailus."

"Which was, obviously, s-stupid," Kylie sniffled, and Neville and I both looked at her in concern. She hadn't been crying, or even upset, until she used the word 'stupid,' but now she looked as if she were remembering something rather painful and hid her face for a moment.

"What's wrong, Kylie?" I asked kindly, reaching over to touch her arm.

"Nothing," she snapped, in a most uncharacteristic manner, before wiping her sleeved arm across her face and looking back at us, "N-Nothing. Go on, this is good stuff to remember for class."

"Well, so you kind of get this feeling like walls are closing in around you… and you can't breathe… and you can't even comprehend what's going on, it all becomes sort of a blur," I paused, frowning, "These happen on and off for a while, for a few seconds at a time… but as the battle goes on it gets more and more frequent and long-lasting until it's basically _all_ you feel, and then you just… you're only instinct is to call, and you simply cannot do anything else."

"And, obviously, the farther the distance, the harder the call is on your body," Neville nodded, an expert on this now, "Luckily for Maggie, Thailus was on the shoreline… if he hadn't been _right_ by the Atlantic she probably would have died."

"This is why it really is incredibly important to learn to fight without Amityh," I agreed, directing my comment to Kylie, "You can never really put off the feeling of closed-off-ness forever, but you can delay it, and most often long enough for the battle to be finished or for Amityh to get there flying, if you know what you're doing."

Kylie nodded, "Well, it's good we get training in that more than in anything else."

"Yep," I assented, but watched her face closely. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes.

"What's wrong, Kylie?" I asked kindly. Neville's head turned and he nodded in the fire.

"Yeah, Kylie… you aren't your usual, chipper self today," Neville commented lightly, his eyes occasionally flickering to mine. I bit my lip as Kylie composed herself, trying to answer.

"Oh… y-you know… Nothing really. Nothing that a bunch of other s-stupid people haven't d-done before me."

We both watched her, waiting for her to go on, as tears started to pool out of her eyes in earnest now.

"I m-mean, I've known it about him since the day we m-met him… Gerald even _t-told_ you, M-Maggie, and you t-told me… I dunno… I thought I was different, I thought I was special, I th-thought he would actually _feel_ for m-me… He seemed to treat me like he d-did… Said he felt more for me than any of the o-others…"

"Kylie…" I threatened warningly, feeling dread grow in my heart.

"At l-least it only w-works if we're _both_ in it with our h-hearts… Or else I, and p-probably many o-o-others, would be in _quite_ the p-pickle, huh?" Kylie mumbled.

"Kylie!" I snapped, annoyed with the amount she was avoiding the question. She finally sighed and shrugged, wiping off her eyes more vigorously.

"I slept with Richard," she mumbled. I groaned and Neville hissed, caught up on his history.

"Shit, Kylie," I moaned, "You didn't think he _loved_ you, did you?"

"He said he did!" Kylie insisted, "He s-said he felt _differently_ towards me than the others!"

"Yeah, Kylie, maybe he felt _differently_, but not _enough_!" I groaned, wanting to hug her and shake her at the same time, "That guy is a _creep!_ He uses Dragon Rider girls and the trust they place in the mating bond and turns it against them! It makes us _so sure_ that we'd _never_ have to go through what normal girls go through at the hands of _boys_ and their _d***s_," Neville gave a little grunt of annoyance next to me, "Sorry, Neville, not you… of the bulk of the male population and their wieners that they let their guards down! You're so smart, Kylie, how could you…" But she had burst into tears in earnest now.

"Maggie," Neville groaned softly, before addressing Kylie, "It'll be OK Kylie. There are loads of other guys out there and one of them will love you, _really_ love you, and make you happy."

Kylie nodded, wiping off her eyes with her sleeve again, "Th-Thanks Neville."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, reaching over and hugging her, "I just get mad."

"I kn-know," Kylie laughed, "Love you anyway, though."

I grinned, "I love you too. Go to sleep, we don't have any tests or anything tomorrow."

Kylie nodded and climbed over to her bed as I knelt back in front of Neville. I was starting to have a slight baby bump despite the charms; I was seven months pregnant and it was getting harder for the charm to contain both children. I had taken to wearing baggy clothes in response.

"You graduate in two months?" Neville asked, keeping his tone casual, though I knew he was counting down the days until I started work, which would allow him to count down the days until I'd _finished_ work.

"Yep," I nodded, _just in time for the babies_.

"Good. Kylie won't have to see the arse after then," Neville grinned a little, making me giggle, "And then we're one step closer to getting back together."

"Yeah," I smiled and kissed him, "One step. Tell Seamus he needs to talk to Kylie, OK? It's amazing how close they've gotten."

"His long lost sister, he calls her," Neville nodded, "Anywho, I've got to go love. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Yeh," I agreed, kissing him again, a bit more forcefully this time. I crawled into bed with images of babies, Neville, and me punching Richard in the face swimming in my head.

Fridays were filled with Dragon Rider Bond Theory in the morning- AKA everything that we went through and experienced as a direct result of the bond- and Practical Combat review in the afternoon. Nothing occurred in the evenings, as a form of break- this was when the bulk of the trainee population went out to the villages and towns nearby to get drunk. I spent this as alone-time with Neville, though as a result of _his_ job this was becoming less and less frequent or as long.

"I'm sorry, love," Neville murmured mournfully one evening when I looked eagerly through the fire to see him in his laboratory robes, "But the shrubs _have_ to be collected from _tonight_ or the whole experiment is shot… I'll talk to you proper tomorrow, OK?" he kissed me heavily in a futile attempt to make up for it, though all I wanted to do was talk to him about my day and how I had managed to punch Richard in the face and snap his nose with a satisfying crunch, though I definitely got cleaning duty in the cafeteria for it. He rushed out, but I didn't leave the fireplace- I watched his retreating back with a mixture of regret and depression on my face.

"It'll be fine, Maggie," Seamus reassured from the couch, where he was eating crisps almost as sloppily as Ron, "You guys are linked for life, right?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, "I just… I really… I really miss him and times like this make it harder."

"Of course," Seamus agreed, "It's perfectly understandable. But it's not for forever."

I nodded and blinked back my tears before curling up on my bed to read my book, _Dragons, Birds and Crocodilians: The Last Members of Arcosauria._

Saturdays were spent with mainly athletic training- cardio, strength, etc. I mainly got to sit those days out, especially at the end; people were mystified at how I managed to complete all my homework before Sunday and spent those free days, not studying like the rest of them, but lounging outside and reading through my books faster than I had ever managed to do at Hogwarts (where I never managed to finish _The Evolution of Life, Magic and Mortal_- I had to wait until I was home to finally peruse the last page.) My grades were actually better than they had been at Salem; with daily outlets for my passion and anger, I was less prone to outbursts that would give me detention or punishment and postpone my work (though Richard's nose was a notable, and acceptable, exception.)

Graduation was an informal affair for most of the class: they would go up, get their diploma (even the dragons; they would fly to the podium and hook the scroll with their claw,) and sign on officially with the Squad. Unfortunately, though I was already panicking in my head about what would happen if I went into labor during the ceremony, another burden was added to my two-fetus-heavy load.

I was called down to the office, an affair I was extraordinarily familiar with, along with Ezra. I hadn't talked to him ever, really, but certainly not since the Golden Egg affair. We stood outside the office, not talking, but staring awkwardly around us. He didn't look nearly as angry as he had on the day I met him.

It was taking forever for the Director to appear, and the silence was deafening. I felt like all I wanted to do was sleep or lie on my back- even though no one could see them, I could still _feel_ my children and they were bloody heavy.

"Uhm," Ezra started, apparently trying to start a conversation, and I felt briefly mortified.

"You were completely right to punch Richard, I just wanted to say. Good job," Ezra added, almost begrudgingly, and I stared at him with my mouth slightly open.

"Huh? I thought you were friends with him?" I asked in amazement. Ezra smiled humorlessly.

"He's been an idiotic bastard this whole year, and unlike most of the other girls, Kylie wasn't being conniving or sneaky towards Richard to get him into bed- she was open and honest and didn't deserve what Richard did to her. Not that any of the others did, either! But Richard crossed the line with Kylie… I think the word I'm looking for to describe her is _innocent_," Ezra nodded.

"Yep, that's Kylie," I agreed glumly as the Director finally opened the door and ushered us inside.

"Well," he beamed at us and waved his hand at the seats. We both sat down nervously.

"I'm sure you know why you're here," the Director was a large, beefy man with a Southern accent. Ezra and I both shook our heads.

"You, Mr. Henders and Ms. Johnson, are the Valedictorian and Salutatorian, respectively, for this class!" the Director beamed. I was stunned.

_What?_ I had always been good at school, even scrapping OK grades in potions and charms back at Salem- but I wasn't the top of the class. I think my rank had been number fifteen out of three hundred students or so, thanks to the number of detentions I had and my abysmal efforts in potions.

Or, at least, comparatively abysmal efforts. And my grades in Astronomy weren't braggable either…

"You're surprised!" the Director laughed at our faces, "Well, I can assure you, Mr. Henders and Ms. Johnson, there is no mistake. You are the best in your class! And you will both have to speak at graduation. Only for a few minutes- Ms. Johnson before diplomas are handed out, Mr. Henders after. Nothing too big, just about the pride of Dragon Riders, what it means to be a part of this, et cetera. I'd work together so that nothing is repeated between speeches," he added thoughtfully, "But congratulations! It is well earned indeed!"

I left his office in a daze. Part of my mind was going through the logistics: what should I talk about, what should I do if I went into labor, etc. The other part, the part at the forefront of my mind, was amazed and joyful- I was second best! _Second best!_ I couldn't believe it. I had found what I was good at and done my best and my best was… second best overall! I was just amazed I almost started to skip, in an uncharacteristic fashion, before I realized that it would kill my feet and simply walked to go floo Neville.

His face burst into the widest smile I had ever seen as he beamed down at my head in the fire, "Knew it, didn't i? Just _knew_ it! You studying all the time, so passionate about what you were doing- oh, it _had_ to be you Mags! I'm so blood proud of you I just… D' you think I'll be allowed to come through for the ceremony?"

Panic entered my mind at the thought. It was entirely possible that, given the nature of my achievement at the Academy despite my heartache and pregnancy, that Neville could be allowed to come for the afternoon. But I was a coward. I wouldn't be able to handle it if Neville noticed my slight baby bump, or if I went into labor- I couldn't handle it. I entered a moment of pure panic. I wanted… I so _deeply_ wanted… him to come through. It would have brought me so much _joy_… But…

It was cutting it too close. No matter how many awards I had received, even if they said I was the best Dragon Rider of all time, Neville wouldn't be allowed to come through permanently. And if he realized I was pregnant, he would never leave, and we would get into trouble. Usually I welcomed trouble, but if it risked never seeing him again…

"I don't think so," I whispered, hating myself for lying, "They're… They're still pretty strict about security over here."

Neville's face fell but he didn't question it, and soon perked up again as we talked happily about what I would say in my speech. The guilt in my heart that had been growing ever since I _didn't_ tell Neville about the children multiplied tenfold. I was so sure I was making the right decision, and yet…

Graduation Day was a chaotic affair. Families were everywhere at base camp, dragons were flying about like flies- except they took up much more space. It was actually very surprising that a dragon hadn't been _one_ of the top of the class, however, Thailus had come rather close at number four and number three was a dragon by the name of Rechee, partnered to a girl named Palii, who was rumored to be disgruntled at number five. Genito, at six, was the last known ranking in the class. Richard, however, hadn't spoken to Ezra since the announcement. As Ezra told me privately during one of our speech-writing sessions, this was an improvement.

Gerald had been right- despite my misgivings, once Ezra got to know you (or you punched his roommate on good reason,) he did become a somewhat pleasant guy.

I was nervous, hot, and sweaty- so was everyone else. Thailus looked like he was about to vomit fire sparks and Kylie kept braiding and unbraiding and rebraiding her hair in nervousness. This wasn't so much because it was going to be a hard thing to do- by all means, only Ezra and I had anything hard to do- but because after this they would find out their assignments, partner teams, and official job. That was what was nerve-wracking- the teams of four could be put on anything from desk duty, which was awful, to full on patrol and policing of dangerous dragon neighborhoods, which was overwhelming for Interns. The happiest, most desired course was down the middle, and this was (of course) the fewest in number- the most number of people were needed behind desks or out fighting the hardest spots.

I was terrified for that, of course, but also for my speech- I felt continuously more and more dizzy and sick and light-headed, and I knew I needed to last through five minutes of talking. I wanted to vomit more than Thailus and the last thing on my mind was the assignments at the end of the ceremony, though, I was nervous about that too. I didn't want a desk job, but I also didn't want to die before I saw Neville again either. But I was nervous about giving the speech and, beyond that, I felt seriously and legitimately ill.

We filed into the large, open field, dragons surrounding the green and neat chairs lined up in the middle. I took my place, beads of sweat on my brow, my stomach churning. The sun was beating down, even hot for May in the desert, and I really wanted to lie down in some muggle air conditioning. My skin felt kind of clammy and I was especially glad that Neville would not be there. He would, undoubtedly, fuss over me and probably insist that I don't do anything strenuous.

I swallowed a terrible taste in my mouth. Perhaps, if he were here and indeed insisting those things, he would have had a point. I tried to blink away the blur in my vision and the spots in front of my eyes. I really didn't feel well enough to go up to the podium, but I was here, and I had to. My speech was important, first off, and second off Ezra's wouldn't make any sense without it.

My name was announced and Thailus let out a rather unneeded roar while my family clapped as loud as they could, being only two people. I thought of my second family, all the people back home in the UK, and knew that if the world was as it should be, they would be making the loudest cheer of all time. As I slowly and carefully walked up to the podium, trying to keep myself steady, I pictured all of their faces: Neville, Seamus, Ginny, Ron, Lavender, Luna, Parvati, Ernie, Hannah, Harry, Hermione, George and Fred, Severus, Minerva… I swallowed back what tasted like bile and stood up in front of the podium. My dizziness was increasing.

"Ladies and Gentlemen…" I began, clutching the wood of the ornately carved dragon podium like a lifeline.

"We have been through some of the most rigorous training imaginable for any witch or wizard. We have become, not just Aurors, and not just Riders. We have become… become…"

The world in front of me was spinning slightly and I tried to stop myself from swaying on the spot. The crowd was still silent, though looks of concern appeared on the faces of those who knew me: My family, Kylie, Ezra and Gerald.

"We have become the elite, the chosen ones, the ones who will keep our country safe from internal and external foes. And our dragon brethren have, in turn, become more than just guard-dragons or scouts… They are now the leaders amongst their own species, bridging the gap between scales and…"

The sun was very, very hot on my brow and my cap didn't really conceal it from my face. Black spots appeared in front of my eyes and I stumbled backward. Murmurs erupted in the crowd and my family and friends looked even more worried.

"Between scales and…"

I really needed a glass of frozen cold water, or maybe just some ice. For a moment, I could have sworn I saw Severus Snape standing next to my mother, holding her hand. But that was impossible: first off, both were dead, and second off, they never had a relationship.

"Between… scales… and…"

I thought briefly of Neville and how worried he'd be if he saw me fall down onto the ground, before collapsing and giving into blackness.

I didn't dream much of anything, except the two things I had wanted most before blacking out: I was sitting on an iceberg in Antarctica (I knew it was Antarctica because there were penguins,) and Neville was curled up next to me. We didn't talk; we didn't do anything except sit close together and watched as the penguins dived into the icy sea.

When I woke up, I found myself staring into bright lights, like when I had passed out, but they were cooling- probably some sort of spell that made bright cool fire or light. I blinked and tried to sit up, but a hand reached out and a calm voice soothed me.

"Don't try to do much yet, I'd hoped you'd sleep longer but we can't force you to sleep now you're up," a voice I had never heard before in my life instructed: it was calm, southern, and female.

"Wha…" I mumbled, trying to reach up and rub my eyes.

"Don't do too much, you have to conserve your strength," the voice urged, "You aren't quite there yet."

"Wh… Where?" I asked feebly, trying to lift my head up to look around. I found myself lying on a comfortable hospital bed, my father and sister standing beside it, Kylie on the other side. I could see Thailus' head in the window nearby and a woman I had never met standing at the foot of my bed. She had dark, shiny skin and hair in corn rows, wearing a set of white lab robes.

"You aren't _quite_ dilated up to ten centimeters yet," the woman explained. I looked in shock to see that my stomach was round and full with pregnancy; I half wanted to start screaming and half wanted to burst into questions.

"You went into labor," my dad explained gruffly.

"WHAT?" I shouted, trying to sit up. The woman gently pushed me back down with a frown.

"Try not to excite her, Mr. Johnson," she scolded. I heard Thailus snort from outside.

"The concealment charms were fighting with your natural impulse to start contractions," my dad continued as if she hadn't said much, "The charms have been interfering with your natural systems for a few days because they were now fighting with your body's impulses and needs; that's why you've been sick. You've actually been trying to go into labor for more than twenty four hours before the graduation… We quickly rushed you out of the ceremony and it's been a few hours. Naturally, once the charms were lifted, you immediately went into labor and rather rapidly at that… It's the sedation charms that have been keeping you asleep until now."

I wanted to start screaming in terror. I wasn't ready for the babies yet! I wasn't… I hadn't set up anything back home I… I wasn't due for two more weeks…

The panic must have shown on my face because Elena reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder, "You'll be fine. The kids are healthy, and now that you aren't using the charms you're healthy too. Just, breathe deeply…"

I felt an extremely sharp pain and cried out, gripping my sister's arm like a death grip. I rode out the contraction and tried to regain my breathing, but I could feel tears pouring down my face.

_Neville… Neville… I want Neville… Why can't he be here… Neville…_

"How long since g-graduation?" I sobbed, "I can't believe I screwed up my sp-speech…"

"Well, the Director hushed everything up," Kylie responded, looking terrified, "He helped us carry you out and insisted you would be fine, but that you've been ill for a while, talking about how it was all the more impressive that you were number two and bla-bla-bla. Then we got our diplomas, Thailus got yours, and Ezra kinda gave the two speeches at once. No one knows but us here what's quote-on-quote 'wrong' with you though," Kylie reassured, "Not even Ezra. And then we got our job assignments… Thailus knows yours but he's not telling anyone until he tells you, and he's not telling you until you finish here."

_You have enough to worry about_, Thailus whispered into my head before blocking out his own thoughts from mine.

"I'm partnered with this girl named Leslie Wu and her dragon Rohdihisa," Kylie continued nonchalantly, "She was in a different module. We have desk duty though… I suppose that's OK in the end."

I nodded, briefly curious as to my partner, but then another contraction came and I rode it out, wanting to die, wishing that I wasn't essentially alone.

"Why?" I sobbed quietly, holding to my sister and Kylie, "Why?"

"It's exceptionally unfair," Kylie spat, a bit of the Irish anger playing through her features, "Completely unfair. No dragon rider is supposed to have to go through this alone. It's like asking a squib to go through Wizarding school and pass, or a Unicorn to allow a fully-grown man to ride on its back… So unfair!"

"Just keep going," my dad instructed gruffly, "You can do it."

The next few hours flew by in pain and heartache. I found myself screaming, pointlessly, for Neville, almost willing by the increased volume of my voice that he would appear and take away all the pain that I felt. Maybe, if I just shouted louder, or even _more_ earnestly, he would appear. Yes. That would be the solution. If I just screamed a little louder…

But, endless pain and endless loneliness later, I was balancing two small babies in my arms and there still wasn't a tall, round, scruffy looking Brit standing by my bed.

"The older one's a girl," the healer said softly, gently mopping at my brow with a small cloth, "Do you have a name for her?"

I swallowed, staring down at the closed face. She had come out screaming, but now was calming down some. I thought of Neville, and his mum, and of my own mom.

"Alice," I whispered softly, "Alice Melinda Johnson-Longbottom. Hyphen between the last two."

The healer waved her wand and handed me a birth certificate; my father looked slightly annoyed and amused.

"Bit of a mouthful, hun," he commented lightly. I glared at him and held Alice tighter to me. She had a round face, just like Neville's.

"The younger one's a boy," the healer continued, pulling out a sheet of paper and holding her wand reading.

My first instinct was to go for Frank Nathaniel, but I realized in the back of my mind that it was weird to name them Frank and Alice, as the original Frank and Alice had been married. I swallowed, looking over at my father, the original Nathaniel. I decided that he deserved this, that this was going to be a very important child in his life while I went off to work. The boy's face was the same shape as my father's. He hadn't cried at all upon being born and, at first, the Healer was worried that he was sick. He wasn't sick… just silent.

"Nathaniel Frank Johnson-Longbottom," I whispered. My father's face registered with shock and the healer waved her wand over the paper.

"I'll leave you all alone," she smiled kindly and left the room. I held up Nathaniel and Kylie hurriedly took Alice from my arms so I could feed him.

"Well," my father paused, "Congratulations on graduating, at any rate."

I laughed weakly, "Thanks. Worst day ever."

"Don't say that!" Elena protested, "They're beautiful. Neville will be so happy to meet them some day."

I sobbed and tried to not think of my poor, ignorant fiancée as I handed Nathaniel to Kylie and fed Alice in turn.

_Well?_ I asked Thailus, forcing my way to his mind as Elena and my father began discussing the details of getting the house ready for the babies' arrival, _What do we have to do? The faster we get to work the faster these two have a father. _

_We have a desk job,_ Thailus responded, _So at least you'll be safe._

I groaned. Hadn't I proved that I was up to combat?

_I asked that already. They seem to think that the desk job will allow you to care for your children better at the beginning_, Thailus agreed.

Oh.

There was a point to that.

_And… Don't get mad… _Thailus' thoughts were nervous.

_What…_

_Um_, Thailus paused, like he was taking a deep breath, _We're partnered with Richard and Najhi._

_WHAT?_

AN: Yaaaaaaay updates haha. Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Soon things get interesting. And, please review. I'm dying for reviews. There are loads of people who read this story and don't review and it drives me mental… I like knowing what people want in the next chapter (the bulk of the content of this one was a response to a review) and what they liked in the past one, as well as anything I can improve! So please… Review! I'll give you cookies for reviews! Cyber cookies, anyway. Yay reviews!


	23. Ch 4: The Job

Ch. 4: The Job

_Everybody tells me that its wrong what I'm feeling_

_I shouldn't believe in the dreams that I'm dreaming_

_I hear it every day, I hear it all the time_

_I'm never gonna amount to much_

_But I'm never gonna change my mind, no_

_~ Tell me Something I don't Know by Selena Gomez_

There was a brilliant flash of light in front of my eyes, seeming like a huge flash of fire erupting across the sky. The light was the brightest of whites and it made everything sting. I could hear screams of terror erupting behind me and I ducked, flooded with a sense of immediate panic and terror. The ground erupted with forces as multiple large creatures landed, their roars erupting in the night air. I spun around to see a huge wall of water, rising up out of the docks, higher than even the tallest building in that very old and very large city. Screams and shouts pierced my ears as people flooded the streets, running and fleeing from the giant beasts that had landed on either side of the wall of water.

I turned again and saw a large group of people run up to the wall of water. Some had wands out, holding up the wall with magic; others seemed to do it with both their wand and their free palm. The rest just had their wands at the ready, pointing them at the crowd of people emerging on the other side of the wall.

All around me were my comrades: Neville, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Kylie, Elena, Richard, Ezra, Seamus, Lavender, Dean, Cho, Parvati, George, Angelina, an Asian girl I had never met before in my life, and a man with dark hair and a rather angsty air about him. Neville took my hand and we nodded at each other before turning towards the wall of water, bracing ourselves for the eventual penetration.

But then I woke up, my heart racing from terror, the bedclothes twisted around me in my bed. The light was streaming into my window and I could hear the wail of a child next to me. I sighed and crawled out of bed, my heart and mind both racing as I cradled Alice in my arms and fed her.

_Who the hell were those two other people? _I thought in confusion as my louder child quieted in contentment, _And why was I close to some of the others? I've never even **talked** to Cho Chang…_ But I have always had weird dreams, and as such I pushed the vision from my head. Nate had woken up as a result of Alice's screaming, but he wasn't crying himself. He was such a quiet child, it worried me greatly.

I fed Nate and turned to get dressed, pulling on my work robes and sighing. I'd have to somehow surreptitiously ask Neville about his childhood someday, but without him catching on that it was for a reason other than curiosity. Unfortunately, Neville was the one person I couldn't hide my feelings around.

I walked down the stairs to see my father reading his newspaper, _The Boston Oracle_, which featured on the front cover a large picture of a strange looking witch. She had long blonde hair and wide eyes, and seemed to be laughing in the picture. Underneath read a caption that said, "ELISHA: MASTERMIND OR MANIAC?" I frowned, having never heard of anyone named Elisha except as a prophet.

"Hi dad," I greeted tiredly, eating a piece of toast, "Nate and Alice just woke up."

"Yes, I could hear," my dad answered gruffly, "Did you finish all the paperwork you came home with last night?"

"Most of it," I acknowledged, "But what I have left doesn't have to be in until tomorrow."

"I ask that you get it done," he muttered, "Elena and I take care of those two all by ourselves during the day and that's hard enough with Alice's lungs, but you're supposed to be able to help when you get home."

"I have work, dad! Don't you want me to do well?" I snapped.

"Yes," my father sighed, "But those two are stressful. Nate never speaks up when he wants something and Alice doesn't shut up even when she's OK."

"I know," I moaned, "I know. I'll be home as soon as I can and I'll get as much work done as I can before I leave, OK?"

"That's all I ask. Have a good day," he nodded at me as I turned to go to the Fireplace. I nodded and threw in Floo Powder before stepping into the green flames, shouting out "UDRA HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC!" and watching as I swirled through the flames and onward, landing in a multicolored entrance hall. Witches and wizards in robes similar to mine came filing in, mulling about and talking to each other. I sighed and walked through the hall, towards the door labeled "INTERN OFFICES," grumbling quietly to myself. I looked to my right and saw a tall, dark man emerging from another fireplace- Richard. He yawned loudly and stumbled next to me groggily.

"Don't see why you're so tired," I muttered, "You moved after graduation so you _live_ in DC, you don't have to wake up early at all."

"You live in Boston, the Floo isn't that long for you either," Richard snapped back, "I'm a terrible morning person, we've been partnered for a month now and you _still_ don't realize that."

I grumbled as we filed in and took our seats. Our office was a large cubicle, me up against one wall and him against the other, back-to-back. Mainly, we spent our time filing paperwork silently about the cases the Magical Law Enforcement Dragon Riders handled and the Dragon Rider Aurors as well. Aurors, while handling the higher level cases, didn't have as much work and now, in a time of relative peace, had the safer job. Law Enforcers had more work over all and, though none of it was particularly dangerous by itself, had more injuries due to the sheer massing of their work.

And then there were us stuck in cubicles.

Granted, we'd only be stuck here for a year, and then we'd get to pick whether to work as Aurors or Law Enforcers unless the demand for one type over the other was greater, but still.

I took the pile of paperwork I finished last night and put it in my out tray, taking the rest I had left and going through them. The only sound that pervaded between the two of us was the scratching of our quills on the parchment. I sighed and looked at the clock, filled with weariness and boredom.

If I hadn't gotten pregnant, I would be out flying and doing real Dragon Riding work, rather than this monotony. As the situation was, I was stuck behind a desk and Thailus was at home, keeping an eye on the children. He couldn't do much with the paperwork job and rarely had to report in with me.

I reached the last of the files, one on an arrest job done in Indianapolis on two illegal dragon pairings (aka, unauthorized.) I sighed and marked it up with notes, rubbing my forehead with my free hand and trying to not fall asleep.

"Hey! Hey Maggie!" I heard a warm voice call out. I looked up to see Kylie peering over the wall of my cubicle from the hallway on the other side. I beamed at her and stood up to take the coffee she had in her hand.

"How's it going today?" she asked, grinning and drinking her own coffee while hanging over the wall. She pointedly did not look at Richard.

"Fine, this morning was stressful," I gave her a meaningful look, "But my dad was OK when I left, and my sister was still asleep."

"Thailus and Emralda alright?" she furthered, taking a sip of her coffee.

"As far as I can tell," I laughed, "Emralda is taking care of the nest."

"When are the eggs due to hatch again?" Kylie looked over her shoulder in case Leslie was rounding the corner, and looked visibly relieved when she wasn't.

"A really long time, they were just laid," I replied, setting down my quill, happy with the excuse to talk and not keep writing, "If they were laid just a week ago, I'd say they'll hatch in about a year, wouldn't you?"

Kylie nodded, "What color are the eggs? I'm curious to see what color the chicks will be."

"Most are teal, as usual, seeing as Thailus is blue and Emralda is green," I paused, "But two are turquoise, which still isn't surprising, and one is exactly the same shade of emerald green as Emralda. That's rare for the two to not be mixed, but ah well. Redla was Thailus' shade of blue so it's not like it hasn't happened before."

"How many chicks have they had now?" Kylie laughed, throwing out her coffee container in a nearby bin.

"I've lost count, and so has Thailus," I rolled my eyes, "Lots of them are already full grown and living on their own in the colony. Once he was shocked because a dragon he had never remembered meeting called him dad, but it was just one of his kids playing a mean joke on him. He's really good at remembering them when he sees them, but there are so many he just forgets random ones when asked to make a list."

"That's craziness," Kylie laughed. I sipped my coffee thoughtfully, my mind going back to the picture on the newspaper.

"Do you get the _Boston Oracle_ perchance?" I asked.

"No," Kylie shook her head, "I live in Chicago, remember? But I can probably ask Leslie, she lives in Hartford."

"But you don't want to go back and talk to Leslie," I grinned cheekily.

"Can you blame me?" Kylie groaned, "She yells at me every time she hears my quill stop scratching! You'd think that we were doing work for the muggle CIA or something! It's not _that_ urgent that I finish writing up my report on the recent egg snatchings in Washington State! The eggs were returned! Nothing important hangs on this report!"

"I went to school with her," I reminded, "She's always been like this."

"_Still_," Kylie moaned, "But I'll go ask. Don't be surprised if I don't come back for an hour or two until she takes a bathroom break and I can finally sneak away."

"I won't be," I grinned and sat down, scratching my own quill on my own bit of parchment. Richard behind me remained dolefully silent.

Surprisingly enough, Kylie returned in a few minutes with a rolled up newspaper in her hand. I beamed at her and took it.

"Leslie was surprisingly lenient," she explained, "But I do have to go back. See you at lunch!" She waved and went back in the direction she had come from. I finished up the leftover work from yesterday and turned to the newspaper, reading the cover on this mysterious Elisha person again before scanning down to the article.

_Dragon Riders across the country are in a buzz over the latest popular movement begun by the self-christened "Elisha." Dubbed the "Unionist" movement, their chief aim seems to be uniting dragon and human partners in not only soul, but also in body. A nice idea in principle, however, the movement has so far been unable to unite the bodies of dragon and human partner in a way that promotes the long-term survival of both parties. _

_"The longest anyone's survived after this has been tried on them is two days," reports a Dragon Rider Auror, who wished to remain anonymous, "And he/she- the dragon was a boy, the human a girl- was in terrible pain for those two days." _

_The Auror went on to advise against submitting oneself for experimentation, stating that the likelihood of these experiments working was "negligible" and that hopefully Elisha would soon "realize the folly of her aims." _

_"What Elisha, and whatever following she has managed to accumulate, doesn't realize is that dragon anatomy and human anatomy are diametrically opposed to one another," the UDRA official Miss Olson comments, "It's one of the first things you learn at the UDRA Academy. Dragons, being warm-blooded reptiles, do not have the same bodily structure as humans, being mammals. Furthermore, in partnerships between a boy and a girl, the combination would render the pair, or person I suppose, essentially sterile. Not to mention," Miss Olson finished, "Where Dragon Partnerships do, essentially, combine two individual organisms into one unit, the two souls are the only things that are connected. As anyone who knows a dragon-human partnership can attest to, two personalities and two minds remain, as well as two bodies. Combining the bodies into one would be like trying to fit too many people into a small muggle car without putting an Undetectable Extension Charm on the inside. The two minds and personalities would not be able to fit inside the one body." _

_This prepared and researched response seems to suggest that the idea of combining humans and dragons into one person has occurred to the UDRA before now. _

_"Well, of course it has," Miss Olson responded when I put the question to her, "There are problems with humans and dragons remaining separate persons and yet just one soul. Every time there's a dragon war, all an enemy has to do is kill the human or the dragon and the other one is killed almost instantly- two birds with one stone, if you will. Native Americans for centuries before Europeans even turned up on the continent were faced with this problem when the tribes warred with each other. But it has been tried and experimented with before, and the theory behind the idea has been exhausted. There is no way to do it to allow the partnership to survive, and as such, it has been deemed by the UDRA to be a dangerous and unadvisable course of action." _

_However, the UDRA has been wrong on certain aspects of Dragon-Human unionizing before: in 1915, when it was realized that dragons could be called and manually Apparated by their human partners from where the dragon is to where the human is, the UDRA banned the practice and made it a highly punishable offense until 1966. _

_"Well, it was for good reason," Miss Olson responds tersely to this remark, "The amount of magical energy required to do such a thing is astounding. Very few people can live after doing this long-distance. Only with proper training and management can it be advisable, and rarely at that. The longest recorded 'Dragon Call' was made just last year, and that was 3,066 miles. The human in question remained unconscious for a longer than advisable time and, had the dragon been much farther away, would have most certainly died. But we knew when the law was made in 1915 that people could survive in some situations; with this 'unionization' nonsense, no one has survived- period." _

_Though Elisha herself was unavailable for comment, the bulk of her followers are a vociferous lot, and are easily locatable in most situations. _

_"We believe that more magical experimentation will lead to eventual success in this matter," commented one follower, who wished to remain anonymous, "We believe that it is the eventual destiny of Dragon and Human kind to be fully united across the globe- well, except for the muggles." _

_When another follower was asked why she wanted to 'unite' with her dragon, she laughed and said, "Well, it gets Not thimake life a lot easier." _

_The rumored "second-in-command" of the movement, "Jethro," explains, "Our souls are compatible. And, for thousands of years, this partnership has proven beneficial. Who's to say this won't either?" _

_Whether or not Elisha's movement will gain a larger following, or reach success, remains to be seen. _

I folded up the newspaper, frowning, and threw it at Richard. He shouted out in protest.

"Read the article on the front," I ordered, "I think it's mental."

I continued to start on the new pile of work in my in tray as he read, and looked up when I heard him closing the newspaper.

"You're right," Richard agreed, handing it back to me, "It's crazy. Miss Olson explained it plainly: our anatomies will not match up. Any fool who went through the UDRA could tell you that."

"Any fool who paid attention in Dragon Riding class and got an ANEWT in the subject could tell you that," I agreed, setting the newspaper aside to give back to Leslie, "Do you think it will die down?"

"I dunno," Richard frowned, "Movements like this have come and gone over the centuries, haven't they? Not this particular movement, but people have tried combining the species in different ways for years- same mind, being born at the same time, human fetuses being put into dragon eggs and dragon embryos put into human wombs, et cetera. This is just the latest in the fruitless quest to escape separation."

"Well, we'll have to see," I muttered and we continued with our work.

The days were monotonous and almost always the same: Wake up, feed babies, work, lunch, work, come home, take care of babies, call Neville so that he wouldn't call me and see/hear the children, sleep. Nothing ever changed and nothing new ever came my way. Neville couldn't pretend to not be relieved, however.

"Well, I mean…" he looked mildly embarrassed while I complained about the monotony of my job to him one evening, him lying on the carpet to look at me "I can't say I'm not… a bit less worried, to be honest love."

I raised my eyebrows questioningly, and he swallowed.

"I mean… Maggie, I love you," he paused and I grinned a little despite myself, "But you're… you're a little bit… _reckless_, you know?" he was blushing furiously.

I looked at him to continue and he sighed.

"Look at the evidence for me for a moment," he begged, "One, you come to Hogwarts in the middle of a war by yourself. Two, you join the resistance movement even though you know you'll get into trouble. Three, you blatantly do Hand Magic in the Common Room where anyone could see you. Four, you go out into the hallway to put graffiti on the walls and help to try and steal something out of the Headmaster's office. Five, you do hand magic on my hand in the middle of the hallway where anyone could- and did- catch you. Six, you go out to get me a tonic even though you're supposed to be hiding away. Seven, you call Thailus over even though you know it probably would kill you. Eight, you go off with Harry when he gives himself up to Voldemort and get caught by him. Nine, you go out to give your speech at your graduation even though you're feeling very ill and it's very hot outside…"

_Ten, I make love with you a million times in one night but never once put on a Contraception charm; eleven, I go to the UDRA anyway and put on concealment charms for longer and more than necessary… _I thought, and my acceptance of the idea must have shown on my face because Neville looked less terrified at making me mad.

"And I mean, I'm glad you're at this desk job for now, because it's one year less that I have to worry about you doing something reckless on the job. Don't give yourself a paper cut is really the only thing I can advise against, huh?" Neville grinned a little. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah you have a point. I'm just _bored_," I sighed.

"I know love," Neville nodded, "But it won't last forever. And, I'm here, almost every evening," he grinned a little and I bit back a giggle.

"How's _your_ work?" I asked as he brought his cheek to mine and nuzzled me lovingly.

"Fine," he paused, "The research is going well. I think the results are finally starting to show exactly how the effects of Snarkgrass roots aid mammalian digestion, and if all goes well we'll be able to market potions and drugs for people with heartburn or stomach problems."

"That's great!" I beamed at him, pressing my nose to his and wishing, as usual, that I could come through and snuggle with him, "Great job, Nev! I knew you'd be brilliant."

"Thanks," he smiled slightly before frowning, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," I looked at him in concern.

"Why do you still have your slight accent? It's almost been a year since you were in Britain and well… I guess I thought you'd have lost it by now," he mumbled softly.

I blushed furiously and swallowed, "Well… I mean… I guess I don't want to lose it because I want to make sure… make sure that I keep thinking of Britain as home. Because it _is_ for me now," I sighed, "Nothing about this place holds me here except for my father and my sister. And I want to make it clear to people I meet that I am not staying."

Neville nodded, looking thoughtful, as he leaned in to kiss me softly and gently ran his fingers through my hair, "OK, I understand. It's kind of cute, actually."

I raised my eyebrows in amusement.

"I mean, your combo accent is cute," he beamed slightly, "Half the words you say are distinctly American, even a little bit Boston- the other day you said 'chowdah' and it made me laugh- but the other half are British. I'd like to point out that they were somewhat Welsh, even."

"It's cause I talk to you more than anyone else, you twit," I beamed.

"And then you use British slang more and more, I'd like to point out," he rolled his eyes, "Do you realize that you do it without thinking?"

"I think in British colloquialism sometimes," I acknowledged, "Just today I called the trash can the bin and my panties my knickers."

Neville swallowed for a moment and covered it up with a kiss, "Well, when you come back, I'm sure the transformation will finish, eh?"

"Yeah," I laughed, "And our kids will go to Hogwarts and no one will be the wiser that there was ever an American line in their genes."

Neville beamed, "So they're going to Hogwarts? You sure?"

"Yes," I agreed, "Though I'd like to teach them- and you- Hand Magic, just because I think it's an important skill."

"Deal," Neville nodded, "Is dragon partnering in their future?"

"Depends," I frowned, "It's not for everyone…" my mind went back to that article, and how the Unionists wanted all witches and wizards to be riders, "And if they want to, I won't stop them, but I want them to make the right connection, definitely."

Neville agreed with a nod of his head and leaned in to kiss me again, driving any worries I seemed to have from my mind.

He wasn't the only one besides my father who thought me reckless. It turns out; I had developed a bit of a reputation.

Two high-ranking Dragon Riding officials were talking in hushed voices in the hallway, and I was walking past them to get another coffee for myself, or maybe a cuppa. Either way, I needed caffeine, and so I went right past their conversation. Both nodded at me when they saw me, which made my cheeks flush. I had never talked to either of them before in my life.

I had just made it inside the lounge when one of them called out "Miss Johnson! May I have a word?"

I doubled back and looked at the official questioningly, wringing my hands together, "Sure, uh…"

"Mr. Vasquez," he explained, and I immediately recognized him as the head of my department, "And this is Mr. Richardson. We were just wondering if you had heard any rumors about a certain Gerald Bharvgara?"

I shook my head, "No, I haven't talked to him since Graduation, he's on the Law Enforcement Squad…"

"Yes," Mr. Vasquez frowned, "During training camp, did you ever get the impression that he didn't fully agree with the Academy's methods or positions?"

"No…" I looked at them both in confusion, "He was really pleased with the whole thing."

Mr. Vasquez sighed audibly, "Alright then. Mr. Richardson heads his department and it's beginning to sound like he has Unionist sympathies."

"You mean that weird group of riders who want to unite their body with their dragon's body?" I asked, still confused.

"Yes," Mr. Richardson nodded, "So far they aren't doing anything _illegal_ but we're still keeping a watch on them, and Mr. Bharvgara doesn't seem to think that they need to be."

"That doesn't necessarily mean he has sympathies…" I suggested.

"No, but he's also talking about their ideas in a favorable, positive light and he distinctly asked what the UDRA's policy was on members being a part of it. Of course I told him that anyone who fully subscribes to the Unionist ideology could pack their bags, it's a crazy notion and it would interfere with the work we do here. He didn't look happy about that either," Mr. Richardson sighed, "If he leaves, we'll need someone to take his place."

"I could do it," I offered timidly. Mr. Vasquez laughed.

"No, no, you're doing fine where you are."

I frowned, "But I've always done my best at practical stuff, and I've seen field action."

Mr. Vasquez shook his head, "No, the department and I are completely confident that you are doing good work here and you shouldn't be prematurely moved."

I continued to frown, everything within me wanting to shout at him in frustration, but I also didn't want to get into any more trouble. I didn't know what to do, but I knew that I had to say _something_. This was completely unfair!

"May… may I ask why, sir?" I threw in as much politeness as possible, even with a more respectable tone of voice than any I had used in the entirety of my life.

He frowned at me, making me feel like I had just screwed everything up. I imagined the pain and the look on Neville's face if I told him our sentence, as it were, had been extended for another year.

"I'm sorry, I mean… I'm sorry!" I blushed and tried to walk away, wishing to sink into the floor.

"No, no," Mr. Vasquez paused, "I'm trying to figure out how best to phrase this…"

Mr. Richardson nodded in agreement, "We at the UDRA have been watching your progress in school, abroad, and at the training camp very, very closely, seeing how much promise you showed early on at Salem."

"And… well… while we _are_ impressed by your abilities and what you have accomplished," Mr. Vasquez paused awkwardly.

"We have also noticed that you can be… and have been… a little…" Mr. Richardson coughed awkwardly.

"Rash," Mr. Vasquez finally sighed, "You can rush into situations without thinking and we are hoping that having a little experience behind the desk, seeing how other Riders handle situations, and maturing yourself, you will be less inclined to rushing headlong into situations and will be even more competent as a rider."

I stared at them, shocked, but deeply reminded of Neville's comment, and muttered, "Alright, then."

"Though, if you do see Mr. Bharvgara," Mr. Richardson paused, "Try and dissuade him from joining the Unionists. Something about them doesn't sit right with me and I wouldn't want such a fine Rider to get mixed up in it."

I nodded and walked back to my desk without a cuppa or a coffee, sighing to myself. So it wasn't just because I was a mother- it was also because I had been reckless, so headstrong…

The months dragged on. Neville continued with his research, I continued with my paperwork, the babies continued crying and growing, and the Unionist movement slowly grew. However, Gerald didn't quit the UDRA and didn't seem to have joined them.

"I think he's given that up," Richard commented one afternoon as we sat there, mulling over paperwork, "I think he's realized it's stupid."

"You sure? Cause he seems to still be sympathetic from what I've heard from him," I muttered, remembering my last face-floo with the child and how he went on about Elisha like she was the newest Jesus Christ or something.

"I don't think he'll join, he's worked too hard at the UDRA and at the Academy to do so, plus back at Vegas," Richard shook his head, "I don't think he'd do it. Do you hear what they've been up to lately?"

"What?" I asked, looking up at him curiously, not automatically filled with loathing at the sight of him (an improvement.)

"They're running out of volunteers," Richard explained, "For experimentation, so they're 'volunteering' people for it, and of course, they're dying. This is what the UDRA has being hoping for in a sick way, though, cause it means they can start arresting Unionists for a reason."

I frowned. People were getting kidnapped to get experimented on? What next? I worriedly thought of Thailus and knew I could fight them off if it came to that.

The anniversary of Neville and my separation came and passed with neither of us mentioning it. Mostly, we wanted to ignore the date, pretend that it meant nothing to either of us, and that soon everything we had been through would be over and the date wouldn't mean anything to us in actuality.

Alice and Nate continued to grow, Alice's face and appearance similar to baby photos I had seen of Neville, though the way she vocalized and made her thoughts and needs known reminded my father of me. This made me laugh and also feel terrible for being such a noisy child. Nate looked similar to me, but he was completely silent almost all the time. The only way I knew he had vocal chords at all was when, once, I started singing to him and cradling him in my arms, he cooed very softly in response.

Around Christmas, as I was sitting next to Neville at the fireplace and talking to him about nothing in particular, my father came running into the bedroom. I must admit, I wasn't exactly prepared for his appearance: I was wearing my skimpiest robe and Neville definitely wasn't objecting to it, his eyes flickering down to my chest or to my legs every so often. I shouted in annoyance and pulled the cloth closer around me as my father barged in, his initial expression fear but it quickly transformed into outrage..

"Margaret!" he shouted, and I blushed furiously and stood up to face him, pulling the robe down as far as it would go to cover more of my legs.

"_What_, father?" I asked in annoyance. Neville's face was priceless- it was a mixture of horror, embarrassment, and curiosity.

"_Well_," he spat, before composing himself, "I thought you should see this."

He held out the latest edition of _The Boston Oracle_. I took it and looked at the front page: Elisha's face was staring out of it, but she wasn't laughing- she looked angry and determined. Next to her was a picture of a dark-haired man, or boy- he was young, and his hair was shaggy and all over his face. He didn't look angry, but serenely determined, flipping his hair out of his eyes. Underneath the two pictures was the headline, "UDRA LOSES PATIENCE: NEW STANCE ON UNIONISTS COULD MEAN WAR."

I felt my eyes widen and in response to Neville's questioning sounds behind me I turned and showed him the headline. His eyebrows furrowed and I sat next to him again, holding up the newspaper so that we could both read the article underneath the pictures and headlines. It was shorter than the first article I had read on the Unionists, though the rest of the newspaper seemed to be dedicated to the problem.

_The UDRA announced last night in a stunning press release that they have "no choice" but to take the stance of "absolutely no tolerance" towards the rising Unionist faction, according to head of the UDRA Dr. Tennys. _

_"While they were just a loud, but harmless group of experimentalists, we had no problem with them in principle," Dr. Tennys explained to the confused, "But, as the faction grows larger and begins to resort to kidnap and force to carry out their experiments, we have no choice but to declare them illegal and anyone who declares his or herself a unionist as a law breaker. It isn't the philosophy we have a problem with, it's the methods used to carry out that philosophy that we cannot allow to continue." _

_When reporters inquired into the previous contempt the UDRA seemed to show towards the Unionists, Dr. Tennys refused to comment. _

_However, the new stance does bring a bit of relief for a large number of the Wizarding community- particularly those who were more familiar with some of the darker codes of the Unionists. _

_"Their ultimate goal seems innocent at first glance," comments Enid Ingleston, a Dragon Rider, "Complete union of dragon species and wizards and witches. However, as one gets down to the nitty gritty of the philosophy, you see that they specifically pledge to 'Use any Force Necessary to Bring About the Union of the Species,' will 'Fight anyone who gets in the way mercilessly,' and even 'Do not object to the idea that, to bring about perfect union between the species, those who cannot even bond through souls with dragons may have to, and should, be eliminated.' As anyone who knows anything about bonding knows, that means eliminating all muggles and squibs. It's just disguised muggle prejudice." _

_Such violent terminology has worried the wizarding community at large for quite some time, especially those who aren't even bonded to dragons in the first place. _

_"It isn't for everyone," one anonymous, non-bonded wizard comments, "I'm terrified of heights and once got burned as a child, so fire isn't my favorite thing. I certainly don't want to bond my soul to a dragon, never mind become half one." _

_The UDRA reminds the community that mandatory bonding has been proposed and shot down multiple times over wizarding history, and the general public has always responded a definite 'no' to the prospect. _

_"Never mind even the fact that people outside of the Americas don't even know about it," Miss Olson of the UDRA argued, "Only about 20 percent of the American wizarding population eventually agrees to bond, and only around 30 percent of the dragon population. Less than half of those who know about it want it, so the idea that it could be forced upon the entire wizarding world is absurd." _

_Of the wizarding population at large, the UDRA estimates that only 2.5 percent subscribe to Unionism- but whether or not the movement will be stifled remains to be seen. _

I put down the newspaper and stared at Neville, shock playing across my features as well as his.

"Well," he said in a strangled voice, "Well. That settles it."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You're… I demand… I'm calling the UDRA," he paused, "I don't want you here when a war could break out at any second. It's the Death Eaters all over again, by the looks of it."

"Nev…" I sighed, immediately stressed by his words.

"I don't want you to be in this!" Neville shouted, the angriest he'd ever been in all the time I knew him, "You barely made it out of _our_ war! You can't make it through another one!"

I stared at him, amazed by his terror, before whispering, "It might not even come to that, A, and B I don't think I really have a choice, do I?"

Neville swallowed and shook his head, but tears were flowing down his face. I knew from his expression that he wouldn't stop being worried about me until I was back with him, and I knew what I had to do: I couldn't talk to him about my job, ever, or at all.

Yet another part of my life that I had to keep from him, to stop him from breaching the barrier.

Months dragged on, and soon Richard and my Internship was about to draw to a close. Alice and Nate were growing right on schedule, and Alice was even showing signs of magic: when I took about a minute too long to get her her bottle, she got so upset the entire thing blew up in my hands, sending her into fits of giggles. Nate, however, had shown no such magical talent yet, but I wasn't worried- Neville had taken ages too, I knew that, and the usual age to start showing abilities was around seven.

Richard and I weren't _friends_, but we were getting along, and as such we managed to get through our confinement in the Internship without real incident.

A month before we were done, and when Interns were all gathering together to sign up for being an Auror or a Law Enforcer, Richard and I were walking over to turn in our own form (we had signed up for Auror work,) not talking but not arguing either. Neither of us had heard from Gerald in a while, and while the UDRA said he was still working for them, we were still worried that he was thinking of joining the Unionists.

The death toll was rising, and not among the Unionists. More and more people were joining the movement (5% of the wizarding community- a full fourth, however, of all dragon riders) and they were getting stronger: just last week six people (three dragons and three humans) were reported dead in a giants circular clearing in a forest- dubbed 'Unionist Circles,' these areas were pictured to be a circling of dragons and humans around whatever they were using to bond the experiment subjects, and the subjects themselves. The circles were also used as general meeting areas. Groups of Unionists were cropping up all over the country, and most of them had now never even talked to Elisha or Jethro.

We were walking through the hallway, which was mainly deserted, and were mainly content to our own thoughts when we were disturbed by hushed and anxious voices coming from a slightly open door. I walked up silently to the door to see the sign above it: "MISS OLSON: UDRA UNDERSECRETARY." I frowned, leaning up near the door, curiosity getting the better of me. Richard came over too and crouched above me, our ears pressed against the wall.

"Give the prophecy again, again I say!" the angry, New York accent of Dr. Tennys shouted.

"We've been through it _a thousand times_, Pat!" Miss Olson's angry Western voice argued.

"Maybe, this time, we'll have an inkling of who it could mean!" Dr. Tennys shot back, "I want this mess _over with_ before it becomes a full-out war!"

"People are dying," another voice, this one calm and neutral, sighed, "I think it's too late for that, sir."

"Well at least we could figure out what this prophecy means, and train the people it speaks of to the highest caliber! Again!" Dr. Tennys insisted.

"Better bring up the memory again, Adam," Miss Olson sighed. There was a pause as liquid swished around- memories in a pensieve. I looked up at Richard in shock, pressing up my ear closer to the door to hear this prophecy better.

An ethereal, calm male voice rang out, "_A RUSTLE OF WINGS AND DARKNESS WILL FALL/ WITH NO OBVIOUS HERO TO SAVE THEM ALL/ A LEGEND WILL FALTER, A VILLIAN WILL RISE/ ENTANGLED IN A WEB OF SECRETS AND LIES/ THE ONES WHO WILL END IT- A LOVER, A FOE/ THE ONE WHO SURVIVED, AND THE ONE WHO DID NOT KNOW/ HER RELATION TO THE CHOSEN ONE, THOUGH SHE CHOSE THE ONE NOT CHOSEN/ AS THE SCHOOL IS CAPTURED AND THE CITY IS FROZEN/ THEY FIGHT AGAINST THE VILLIAN AND AN ENEMY UNSEEN/ UNTIL, PERHAPS, IT WAS ONLY JUST A DREAM."_

I stared up at Richard, my mouth opened slightly. He put a finger to his lips to hear them talk.

"You _sure_ this is about the Unionists?" Dr. Tennys asked desperately.

"Yes," the man named Adam responded, "The Hall of Prophecy was clear on that one. But they have no idea who the four people are, and there's no way of finding out."

Dr. Tennys resumed shouting, but I was mouthing the words I had just heard. A lover, a foe, a survivor, and someone related to 'the chosen one,' but who 'chose the one not chosen,' would be the one to stop Elisha and the Unionists?

_Well_, I thought in amusement as Richard and I wordlessly went to turn in our form, though both shocked, _Don't know who this chosen one is, but it isn't Harry. All his relatives are muggles, so unless it's his kid, it's a different chosen one. He'll be relieved about that._

A weight had dropped into the pit of my stomach and settled there, unwilling to move from its spot.

AN: I desperately, needfully love reviews… I would like to say that two reviews per chapter doesn't reflect the 40 visitors per chapter that I'm getting for every new one (meaning, forty people keeping up with the story and reading when it updates, rather than just the first chapter when it's new.) Come on, how hard is it to press the Review This Chapter link and write something about what you liked and didn't like? I get anonymous reviews… I love them all… please? Please review? Sigh…


	24. Ch 5: Whispers of War

Ch. 5: Whispers of War

_I travel the world and the seven seas_

_Everybody's looking for something_

_Some of them want to use you_

_Some of them want to get used by you_

_Some of them want to abuse you_

_Some of them want to be abused_

_~Sweet Dreams are Made of This by Eurythmics_

On the twins' first birthday, the house was filled to bursting with colored streamers and balloons, though the only celebrants were my father, my sister, Thailus and his family, Kylie, and me. Alice, who had begun to learn that crying out wasn't necessary all of the time, was now mercifully silent and staring at the brightly colored magical mobile that flashed and spun and sang based on her fancy. Nate, who was becoming more and more vocal, was laughing in delight at his stuffed animal, which would change animal and color randomly. Right now- and it had been so for a while- it was a green toad.

I crouched next to him and kissed his forehead as he held out the toy to me, declaring, "Ag!" I laughed and nodded, pointing to the animal.

"Toad," I tried, continuing on my beginning quest of teaching him to talk.

"Ta!" he declared proudly, hugging the animal and closing his eyes tightly.

"Close enough," I looked up and beamed at my father, who looked gruffly proud.

"Ma!" Alice cried out, having already learned to say that two weeks back, "Ma! Ma!" I turned and sat next to her.

"Yes, Alice?" I asked in amusement.

"Ma!" she pointed at the colored mobile above her head, and it suddenly changed from purple to bright blue, "Ma!"

"That's Thailus' color," I laughed, "Did you mean to do that sweetie?"

She beamed again, completely ignorant of what I had asked, and said, "Ma!"

Nate next to her looked mildly disgruntled at my attention turning back to Alice. I looked at him and saw that his face was contorted into a pout, though the frog was still in his arms.

"Yes, Nate?" I asked, now sitting between them so to be able to easily switch my attention from one to the other.

He frowned, looking from Alice to me, before mumbling, "Ma."

I beamed at him, tears flowing out of my eyes almost instantly, "Yes, it's Ma."

He nodded and hugged the toad, "Ma."

I kissed his head again and stood up, walking over to the table where Kylie was setting out a rather large chocolate cake.

"Nate just said his first word," I declared proudly, "Unless Ta is close enough to toad to count, in which case, he has just said his second word."

"I think it counts," Kylie laughed, "What was his second?"

"Well, he saw Alice got my attention with ma, so what do you think?" I grinned, "That cake looks awesome."

"I can bake," Kylie beamed, "It's one of those few things I can do besides Dragon Riding. Are you going to go call Neville?"

"Yeah, but upstairs, so keep those two quiet," I begged, "I'll be back in a mo."

I walked up to my bedroom and threw floo powder into the fireplace, calling out (as I so often did,) "15 Peckham Grove!"

My head whirled through the flames while my body remained stationary, and I suddenly found myself staring into Neville's small bedroom. I frowned, seeing as most often I would appear in the living room.

"Nev?" I asked breathlessly. The door to the bathroom opened and he walked out, a towel around his middle. He looked startled for a brief moment before beaming at me.

"'Ello love," he grinned, sitting next to the fire, "Never called my room before, that's new."

I beamed at him and responded, "It did it on its own. How are you?"

"Well, disgruntled, seeing as I'm about to go to sleep," Neville laughed, "It's eleven o'clock, love."

I smiled bashfully, "Lo siento… I've been really busy all day and it's only six over here. How was your day?"

"Good, better now that you've called me," he reached out and gently touched my forehead, "You worried me a bit. I freaked out that the Unionists got you or something."

"Hardly," I rolled my eyes, but at the look on his face gave him a reassuring look, "I promise, I'm safe."

"But you got your assignment," Neville's face paled a little, "Yesterday. You're in the Auror squad. You can try to fool me, but hun, Aurors get the most dangerous stuff whether you're riding a Dragon or heading out on foot."

"And I had today off," I smiled serenely, "So I'm fine today."

He sighed and nodded, resting his cheek against mine, "OK… I guess." I tried to reassure him again with a peck on the cheek, but he merely grunted softly.

"Neville, please, don't be mad with me," I begged quietly. He looked at me in shock.

"What? How could I be mad with you?" he seemed legitimately shocked, "You've done nothing wrong."

"I dunno," I paused, "You could be mad that I'm not taking more care to be careful."

"I'm terrified," Neville acknowledged, "Terrified that you will hurt yourself. But mad? Never."

"Don't say that," I sighed, "There may come a day when you are mad at me."

"Well, that day isn't today," Neville replied forcefully, "Anywho, anything new to share with me? I'm really tired, love, but I definitely will call you tomorrow."

I thought for a moment, trying to pinpoint something non-war and non-baby related, "Well, I read a new ancient rune scroll from the Vikings that lived in Canada that was found last week, it was rather interesting, 'cause these Vikings were definitely wizards and witches, but they seemed to use different incantations that those you and I are familiar with… AKA, boring stuff," I smiled sheepishly.

Neville chuckled quietly and gently kissed my forehead, "I love you, you silly creature. Anywho, I do need my sleep. You can stay and watch me if you want."

I laughed a little as he got dressed, talking about his latest exploits with the plants at the hospital. I listened dutifully, honestly interested in said exploits. There was a large part of me, however, that just wanted to burst forth and shout out, "HEY NEVILLE! YOUR SON SAID HIS FIRST WORD TODAY! HE ISN'T GOING TO BE SOME SORT OF MUTE BECAUSE OF HIS SISTERS' PARTICULAR ABILITY TO USE HER VOCAL CHORDS!" But I refrained. Now that Dragon Riders and all connected to them were at risk, Neville would surely come through at the first spoken revelation of the children.

"Nev?" I suddenly interjected as he valiantly pulled his pillows and his blankets off the bed, curling up next to me at the fire.

"Yes?" he replied, gently touching my forehead.

"What… D'you… Does your gran ever talk about… when you were a baby?" I asked quietly. Neville looked mildly bemused at my question, his heavy-lidded tired eyes widening a bit.

"Well, sometimes. Mainly about how I didn't show any magical talent until I was seven. Why?" Neville asked cheerfully.

"Just wondering, we were swapping baby stories earlier… did you… talk at all?" I wasn't even _trying_ to be secretive anymore.

"No," Neville shook his head sadly, "That was something else gran mention. Apparently, I was a full two years old before I talked. Keep in mind, though, that at that lovely age of one I saw my parents tortured under the Cruciatus curse and was pretty traumatized for a few years until I could finally forget it."

I did something stupid, but worth it- on an instinct I couldn't fight, I reached my arm through the fireplace and touched his cheek. The sigh that escaped his lips made my heart pound and my abdomen tingle. He kissed my palm and I felt his tongue against it, and I let out the softest of moans- fully aware that I had a party to get to downstairs, though I heard no calls for me yet.

"You… should… probably take back your arm, before someone finds out and we get in trouble," Neville murmured and he trailed kisses down my arm. His lips pressed delicately to the thin skin against my veins and I moaned a little louder.

"I…" I wanted to agree with him, but he was now sucking on my fingers, "I can't…"

"Why not?" he murmured in a low, rough voice as both of his hands enveloped mine and squeezed my hand tightly.

"I… need… you…" I gasped hoarsely, and he grabbed my face in his hands and kissed me. I reached my other hand through and held his face to mine, running my fingers through his hair as he ran his through mine, kissing each other properly for the first time in years now. His tongue dug into my mouth and I held him in place with my hands in his hair, almost halfway through the fireplace, wanting to feel him pressed up against me and his heat against mine.

For someone who had been very tired, he was acting very lively now, and I ran my hands along his body greedily, hungrily, and he did not protest. He kept scooting closer to the fire as though, if he somehow got close enough, we could actually be pressed against each other as we should have been. Little moans and groans escaped both of our lips as he ran his hands along my arms lovingly.

The clock on his mantel struck midnight and he broke away in shock. My lips felt extraordinarily puffy and he was breathing extremely heavily.

"I-I really need to sl-sleep," Neville sighed, though he was clearly unwilling to leave. He wasn't letting go of me and I wasn't letting go of him.

"Then sleep," I gasped as he leaned in and kissed my swollen lips again.

"I don't want to leave you," he breathed as I held tightly to his sides.

"You have to," I mumbled, though my voice broke slightly.

He kissed me again and kissed my forehead, resting there for a moment, and I had flashbacks to every time he'd done this before, from when he went on the run after chopping of Amycus' balls to just before I left the UK. It was as if there was a spot on my forehead that was his sole property, all for the purpose of his affection.

He curled up next to the fire and I gently stroked his hair, smiling as he practically started purring under my touch, until he fell asleep. I made sure he was warm and left the fireplace, sighing quietly and needfully. I stood up and walked downstairs, where my father and my sister were playing with the twins and Kylie was reading a book.

"Sorry," I apologized, straightening my messy hair, "Lost track of time."

"It's OK," Elena smiled slightly, "We understand."

"Cake?" Kylie asked cheerfully. I helped Nate into his high chair and Elena helped Alice in. I ate the cake unseeingly, and continued to picture Neville sitting at that table, helping Nate shove food into his face and laughing at Alice's expression at the taste of chocolate and somehow summoning more chocolate towards herself.

The next day, I went into work with Richard, feeling groggy and depressed. It had been too long since I had held Neville in my arms properly, and I was craving that feeling more than anything else.

"You will be put in a large group of Aurors for protection," Miss Olson explained, though I heard her as if through a glass wall, "You've been partnered up with groups we know you are compatible with to increase your ability to work as a team."

"Who?" Richard asked. I swallowed and tried to return to the present and leave Neville's garden, where one afternoon while Gran was gone we-

"Ezra Henders and Pill Nelson," Miss Olson replied, "And Kylie Bundy and Leslie Wu."

"Great!" I replied, though breathlessly, as my subconscious was keeping me hostage in the garden next to the changing color rose bushes, where Neville's hands were-

"What will we be doing?" Richard asked.

"There's a small group of Unionists out in Baja, California. That isn't our territory but Mexico asked us to step in and we're happy to oblige…" The sun was blaring down hot on the ground- very hot for a British summer- and I felt like my entire body was on fire as Neville's lips trailed down to my-

"When do we ship out? Do we have time to go home and pack things?" Richard furthered. I swallowed. I was half here and half in the past and currently, the past was getting very, very heated in every way imaginable.

"You ship out tomorrow. Today you can pack up your desks from Interning, a new batch of graduates need your desks," Miss Olson waved us off as I was screaming Neville's name in my head.

We packed up in silence, though I was still half in that garden, still crying out as Neville cried out in equal volume and urgency, and I couldn't leave, not yet, not until-

"What are you doing this weekend, Maggie?" Richard asked curiously as I put my stuff into a bag. I looked up at him in shock, violently wrenched back into the present though the passion was still growling at my heart.

"Um, probably fighting Unionists, right?" I asked, amazed.

"Oh, right…" Richard looked embarrassed and we continued packing up our stuff. I couldn't return to the scene without falling on the floor and gasping to no one, so I tried to remain where I was, overcome with emotion.

We left the building without saying much, which was strange, because we had been getting along more and more of late and I thought that, perhaps, I could get over what he did to my best friend for the sake of the partnership, but perhaps, he could not do the same.

I spent that afternoon moving the cribs and baby things into the room next to mine, so that Neville could call my floo and not see the evidence of the twins' existence. The room was soon completely decorated in bright, happy colors and I smiled at my handiwork. Alice was playing with her toy dragon, which flew around her head. Nate was napping on top of his stuffed frog.

"You'll be happy to know, dad," I called out as my father walked into the room, "That Neville wasn't particularly vocal as a child, either."

He nodded gruffly and picked Nate up, putting him in his crib, "That's good. Now, you should probably let Neville know you won't be here the next few days."

I swallowed, "Do I have to tell him?"

My father glared at me.

"Look, it'll make him freak out and I don't want him to…" I explained.

"You have to," my father snapped, "You've sheltered him quite a bit and he does need to know when you're getting yourself into danger. How would he like it if you died and he suddenly died because of it and had no idea?"

"He has something to live for," I pointed out, "The kids will keep him alive until they're seventeen."

"He doesn't _know_ about the kids," my father pointed out, "The usual case might not apply."

I looked at Alice and Nate. Nate was still asleep, sucking his thumb. Alice was now giggling and drawing on the carpet with colored magic.

"I'll tell him I'm going to be in danger. But I can't tell him about them," I whispered.

My father threw his hands up in the air and walked away as I went to call Neville on the floo, but I was surprised and shocked to find his head already sitting there. I felt relief flood through me that I had managed to clear the room of baby things not an hour earlier.

"Hi hun," he paused, looking thoughtful, "I had the strangest day today."

"Why?" I asked nervously, sitting across from him.

"Well, I kept thinking that we were back in my garden, you remember? That one day when Gran was gone?" Neville offered.

"Me too," I smiled a little, I should have known, "We were having a 'moment.'"

"A moment?" Neville raised his eyebrow.

"When mates get separated for longer than a year, though almost two years now for us- we've offset it by being able to see each other's face- the mates start having these simultaneous flashbacks. It felt like you were half at the lab, half back in the garden, right?"

"Yeah," Neville's face flushed, "I had to excuse myself for a moment it got so bad."

"That was a particularly heated memory to have a moment for," I agreed, "I was barely at work, even though we were getting our assignments."

"Did you stop it? Because it seemed to sort of fade away at the end," Neville asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," I apologized, "I needed to concentrate on the present."

"It's OK, I just remembered it on my own for… certain… things…" Neville flushed even redder and I kissed his forehead, "It just didn't seem like it was actually happening. How did work go? Did you get your assignment?"

"Yes…" I paused, my heart pounding loudly in my chest.

"And?" Neville asked, but his face had fallen and I knew he already knew it was going to be bad.

"We're with Kylie _and_ Ezra's partnerships," I started, feeling foolish.

"And?" Neville furthered, frowning.

"And… Well, um… We're leaving tomorrow for Baja, California, to deal with a small outbreak of Unionists there. So you can't floo me here until I get back," I apologized.

He thought for a long time, looking at me, "Will… will _you_ be able to floo _me_?"

"Depends on where we are," I sighed, "I'll try, but I can't make any promises."

"OK," he nodded, "Um… Can we have another 'moment'? Cause that was as close as it gets to having you back with me."

"We can try," I paused, "But it's harder to make happen than it is for it to happen on its own."

Neville sighed and nodded again, "OK. Do you need to get ready?"

"Yeah, but… please don't leave," I begged, suddenly fearful that I would never see his face again. The fear must have shown on my face because he didn't leave- or maybe he didn't see the fear and jut stayed. I packed my things into a rucksack and occasionally flitted across the room to kiss him briefly, unwilling to speak aloud my fears.

The next day I was flying atop Thailus, Najhi and Richard soaring next to us. Kylie and Amityh were flying on the other side and next to them were Leslie and Rohdihisa. Finally, Ezra and Genito were flying on the other side of Richard, and next to them were Pill (Philip) and his lime green dragon, Huelito. The last two were the only ones I had never met before, though I found I was advantaged with Huelito, who could only speak Spanish and I was one of the few of the group who also could- only me, Phillip, and Richard could speak Spanish.

We flew along to the border and crossed it, stopped by none. I was mildly amused by the fact that, if I really wanted to, Thailus and I could have just doubled back and flown all the way to London, grabbed Neville, grabbed the children, and head on to Australia.

We landed on the edge of a long stretch of deserted beach. The waves were crashing against the sand and everything was extraordinarily quiet. Thailus next to me felt anxious and I patted his scales calmly.

"Keep quiet. We should send out a scouting group," Leslie suggested.

"I'll go," Klyie offered, "Maggie?"

"Sure," I nodded, "Who else?"

Ezra stepped forward and we moved out together, leaving behind Richard, Pill and Leslie. The dragons all crouched low (except for Amityh, who was short in stature,) to hide behind the rocks.

I pulled out my wand and felt my heart pound against my sternum. The beach was completely deserted, but we _were_ in the right place- northernmost area of Baja was where they were rumored to be. The sand wasn't littered with footprints, and there weren't marks of dragon nesting sites- so where were they?

I looked over at Kylie from the corner of my eye and she looked back at me, as terrified as I felt. We had no clue where, exactly on the beach, these Unionists would be, or how large the grouping was. Ezra next to me looked stoic as usual, but when I examined him more closely he was wringing his hands and wrists violently.

There was a large cluster of boulders offsetting a bit of the crashing sea, and I waved Kylie and Ezra to follow me and hide behind the boulders. We peered over the side to see a small grouping of wizards. They were all young, barely out of school, and there were five of them. They wore clothes that were ripped in multiple places and dirt was smeared all over them. They could have just been travelers, even muggles. One, however, had a wand out and was poking the fire with it, leading me to believe that they were at least all wizards or squibs with a wizard- people associated with the world.

I put a finger to my lips and nodded at Ezra and Kylie. They didn't even have dragons with them, which wasn't an encouraging sign.

"When will they get here, Elphias?" one of them, who had dirty matted blonde hair all over his face, inquired.

"Tomorrow night," Elphias, who looked like John Lennon with his hair and glasses, responded, "They are bringing our comrades from Mexico City."

"Who?" another, who looked a bit like Ezra but with eyes that were bluer than the ocean behind him, asked.

"Nikki and Selena," Elphias answered.

"Oooooh," the one who looked like Ezra sneered.

"Seleeeeeeeeeena," a fourth one, who had very dark skin and an afro, laughed darkly.

"Shut it," Elphias snapped, "Especially you, Seth."

The dark one glared, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't think I don't _know_," Elphias rolled his eyes, "You and Nikki mated without official sanction."

Seth raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to retort when the final one, who was the youngest of the lot and very, very pale- and also very clean.

"Why d'you need sanction?" he asked, timidly. He had a very thick southern accent.

Everyone started laughing loudly and Kylie looked terrified.

"Because, young Tom," the first one, with the dirty blonde hair, said, "All matings must be approved by either Cara or Jethro."

Jethro.

The three of us looked at each other in excitement and back to the group of boys, who we suddenly looked upon with serious fear.

"Not Elisha?" Tom asked timidly.

"Elisha has more important things to worry about than matings amongst her comrades," the first one chuckled.

"But why do Cara and Jethro have time, Gred?" Tom asked.

The blonde one frowned for a moment- Gred- and replied, "Well, because all matings have to be absolutely necessary, don't they? There aren't many of us and if there's a mating that means four people can be killed with one death. Innit right, Izzy?"

The one who looked like Ezra nodded, "Yes. That's how my brother went. The UDRA lags got Raquel, killed her on accident, and suddenly he and his dragon and Raquel's dragon were all dead."

Silence pervaded as Tom digested this information.

"But then… no matings should be permitted! I mean… that would be more efficient," Tom amended weakly.

"Look, Tom, you think like a leader, tha's why we recruited you from that dumbass Mexican school," Seth rolled his eyes, "But why don't you say that again when you find the girl for you?"

Tom frowned, "But… OK, make exceptions for the realty good fighters."

"Then there'd be exceptions in loads of stuff. We all have to be equals, it's the only way," Elphias responded, "Now, the dragons and those two will be here tomorrow. We should sleep."

Ezra motioned for Kylie and me to follow him away, and we did so quickly and quietly. When we reached back to our base, Richard and Leslie and Pill looked at us all expectantly.

"We found them," I breathed, "There are five, and their dragons aren't getting here until tomorrow, but then there will be seven."

"But, really, still five, since the two coming are mates to two who are already there," Kylie interjected.

"And they don't seem to be a huge force- I believe they're a scouting crew, looking for new members in Mexico," Ezra finished, "They found this one guy that was already very shrewd and ruthless and all that."

"So what do we do? Capture them before their dragons get here?" Pill asked.

"I think we _have_ to wait for the dragons- because if we don't, they could capture _us_ more easily and be prepared. If we try and get them when all of them are together, they're _all_ surprised," Kylie whispered.

"I think that's what we should do," Leslie nodded, "Tomorrow night, you say?"

"Yes," I frowned, "We need to put up watches tonight, so they can't just come across us. Seems very suspicious, six dragons and riders just happening to be near them…"

"I feel uneasy about this," Richard muttered, "But alright."

I voluntarily took the first watch and found myself staring into the campfire as the others went to sleep. Thailus was circling the area, his excellent night vision allowing better visibility.

I wanted to call Neville, but this campfire wasn't hooked to the Floo network- besides, we weren't allowed to make contact to the outside world until we recrossed the border.

I flipped my wand in my hand. It was entirely possible that I could cast a patronus charm, send it to him telling him I was alright, and not get noticed. Though, my ability to cast such a long-ranged patronus was probably nonexistent.

Soon, the night became the darkest shade of black, save the thousands of bright stars against the sky. I poked Richard in the back and he stood up to take the watch, leaving me to sleep. Hence, I went to bed the latest, and slept the longest, which is why I was ultimately awoken by screaming.

"MAGGIE! MAGGIE, GET UP!"

I groggily sat up to see Kylie peering down at me, a huge protego charm blocking us. I could see a ways off flashes of color and light.

"What? What?" I asked, standing up from the sand and holding out my wand.

"They ambushed us! Their dragons came back now, not tonight! C'mon!" she helped me up and removed the protego charm as we ran into the group of fighters.

Most of the dragons were fighting up in the air, without their riders. The five wizards were trying to corner us while the two witches were creating a ring of fire around our entire camp.

"STUPEFY!" I screamed, shooting a curse at one of the witches, who had electric blue hair and pale skin. She crumpled to the ground and her companion shouted, shooting a curse towards me that I deflected towards one of their dragons with my hand. The other witch, a Latina girl no older than sixteen (and therefore, one who had dropped out,) came running forward and shot another curse at me that I deflected.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" I shouted, and her wand soared out of her hand and into mine. She roared in fury and I shouted, "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" and she fell to the ground, rigid as a board.

A jet of red light zoomed past my ear and I flipped around to see one of the boys from last night- the one named Seth- pointing his wand at me. I threw up a shield charm as he continued to barrage me with curses, never managing to interject one myself.

Above our heads, the dragons were fighting in earnest. Thailus was currently taking on two at a time, a golden yellow Wyvern and a brown four-legged. The other one taking on two at a time was Huelito; all the rest were only fighting one combatant. Thailus bit and clawed and swung his tail around and around at his opponents, his roars of fury filling the air. I could feel through him the exhilaration at tearing the enemy with tooth and claw.

I felt the bloodlust rise to my cheeks and my vision, instead of being tinted blue, turned red. I threw off my protego charm and charged at Seth, shooting curse after curse at him as he did all he could to block them.

"EXPELLIARMUS! STUPEFY! EXPELLIARMUS!" I screamed, in an endless succession. As I made my way closer and closer to him, I saw that his eyes turned from their golden color to a deep red- he, too, had entered dragon mode.

He let out a roar that sounded more carnal and animal than any I had heard from another human and rushed forward, wand and magic forgotten. I leapt in the air and scratched at his face with my nails, kicking his shin in anger. He had pulled on my hair and bit my arm, his teeth transforming into canines, as were mine. I screamed in fury and bit his afro, pulling on it and dragging us back towards the water.

He clawed at me as I did to him, but this was getting me nowhere, and I blasted him from me with a jet of white-hot hand magic. He fell into the ocean, but was holding to my arm, and dragged me with him.

The magic had knocked him unconscious, and his grip on my arm was firm- the claws on his hand were interlocking around my arm. He slowly sunk towards the ocean floor and I was forced to follow him, holding my air in my puffed-up cheeks and struggling madly. We sunk further and further and panic entered my heart- _what a way to go, Neville would never believe it if he lived long enough to hear-_ as I was unable to unlock his claws from my arm. I finally pulled out my wand and screamed _RELASHIO!_ in my head, forcing him away. In his unconsciousness- or probably, deadedness- he sunk down towards the sea floor, while I struggled to push my way up to the surface on what little air I had left in my lungs.

Everything was blurry and black and I felt like I was going to pass out, but I wasn't going to _drown_. I wasn't going to let that be the way things ended. I pointed my wand up at the sky and thought, angrily, _ASCENDIO!_ And suddenly I was shooting up like a dolphin, up through the pressured water. My head broke through the surface and I gasped wildly for breath, looking around and seeing Thailus watching in amazement as the two dragons he was fighting fell to the ocean below. I gasped and swam quickly out of the way as they crashed in the exact same spot I had been and didn't get up.

_I killed Seth… so I killed them…_ I looked over in amazement at the two girls. One of them was dead.

Thailus swooped down and picked me out of the water and put me on his back. We turned on a dime and flew back, dropping into the fight and taking on a large silver two-armed dragon, on who's back fought Elphias. The dragons roared and curses flew through the air as I struggled to keep up, still weak after almost drowning. We flew about in the air and fire filled it, crackling like lightening. My hair, now wet and smelling like sea salt, plastered to my face.

"STUPEFY!" Elphias screamed, but the spell only hit Thailus' wing.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" I shouted back, and a large cut ran down Elphias' cheek, causing him to cry out in shock.

The thought then occurred to me that they wouldn't know that spell, not having been in the recent British Magical Civil War, and I had just granted them a new tool for destruction.

Shit.

Though Elphias and his dragon had to fall back to the ground and care for the wound, which was now bleeding profusely, I immediately turned around to see Tom shakingly shout "S-Sectumsempra!" and feel a white-hot cut trace across my legs. I fell to the ground as Thailus flew towards Tom, screaming in rage, and quickly patched up my wound. As Tom didn't really understand the spell, the cut wasn't too deep, and I required no assistance of a potion. I stood up again, trying to limp towards Thailus, but everything was suddenly going quiet.

"COME ON!" one of the remaining fighters, Gred, shouted. He and his dragon and Tom and his were in the sky.

"BUT… BUT SELENA!" Elphias shouted, his voice filled with angst.

"WE HAVE TO LEAVE HER! COME ON!" Gred roared. Tom looked torn. Elphias and his dragon finally followed, though blood was still shining from his wound. They flew off in the sky and I ran forward after them, though on foot, my hair blowing about my face and my hands bloodied from tending to my legs.

"Maggie, c'mon, we managed to get two of them- this Selena girl and her dragon have been immobilized, thanks to you," Pill called.

"Any casualties on ours?" I asked, "And wasn't there another one besides the four I killed?"

"I think the one named Izzy- Izzy, right?- was killed by Ezra," Pill explained, "But Leslie and Rohdihisa are unconscious, we have to get them back to base. And Richard is pretty bad off, but he and Najhi can fly still."

"How are we going to carry them all?" I asked breathlessly, following him over to the others.

"I just sent a patronus to DC," Pill paused, "It took a lot of energy. But they're sending people. We just need to keep this Selena and this Izzy contained."

"Yeah," I paused, looking over at the girl covered with a sheet. Nikki, her name had been- and I hadn't even killed her.

"You had to do what you had to do," Pill soothed.

"I killed four people with one curse that wasn't even supposed to kill one, it was an accident," I whispered.

"I thought you killed in the British war?" Kylie asked softly next to me.

"That was… different. Those people were… really, really evil… and I didn't kill four people with one curse… I fought each one, tooth and claw, and each had their chance…" I whispered.

The blue-haired Nikki looked peaceful in death. I swallowed and looked away.

"I can't believe she's evil, even if I really don't agree with what she's doing. Maybe she's never killed anyone for the cause. She certainly isn't saying muggles and house-elves are scum" I murmured.

Pill and Kylie looked concerned, but I shrugged it off. I looked out into the sun, my hair still plastered to my face, and breathed in deep.

This one wouldn't be as straight forward as the last one.

AN: Sorry for the late coming in the chapter. I blame: trying to get on Pottermore (and failing,) discovering cleverbot, Facebook Harry Potter fangroups, and writer's block. I wonder if JKR just described book 7 at first as "Harry, Ron, Hermione search for Horcruxes." Because this chapter was just described in my notebook as, "Maggie, Richard and Kylie search for Unionists." And I couldn't flesh it out well, so I'm interested in how JKR got past HER writer's block. Though, she's so awesome, she probably didn't have any.

PLEASE REVIEW… I'm literally crying I'm not getting any reviews. I deeply appreciate the comments, praise and criticisms alike. PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE? ... please?

Got into Pottermore! Username: Aurorseeker191

And finally: August 4th, today, is my birthday. I deserve reviews for my birthday.


	25. Ch 6: Strained

Ch. 6: Strained

_And your voice was all I heard_

_That I get what I deserve_

_So give me reason, to prove me wrong_

_To wash this memory clean_

_Let the floods cross_

_The distance in your eyes_

_Give me reason_

_To fill this hole_

_Connect this space between_

_Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies_

_Across this new divide_

_~New Divide by Linkin Park _

I limped home a few days later, sighing and wiping the hair from my face, my rucksack hanging loosely from my back. Dragging the body of Izzy and his dragon home was fine, it was keeping Selena contained when she had woken up that had given me this limp.

I stumbled into the house and sighed, looking around at the quiet atmosphere. Elena should have been home from school by now, so it was surprising it was quiet.

"Dad? Elena?" I called out weakly, "It's me, I'm home."

My dad emerged from the twins' room, wearing an apron and a relieved look on his face.

"I've just been listening to the radio," he gasped, "They're all buzzing about the ambush in Baja…"

"I'm fine," I whispered, "We didn't get any casualties on our side but Richard is going to be out for a couple of weeks."

My father grasped my arm and looked at me anxiously, "You were careful?"

I thought of my almost drowning experience, "Yes, dad."

He nodded, "Good. Go upstairs. Neville's been sitting in your fire for twenty-four hours. He _slept_ there."

"You're kidding," I whispered anxiously, "Did he see the…"

"No," my dad paused, "Elena's been really good with them. But he heard on the 'wireless,' as he says, about Baja and…"

I sprinted up the steps and threw open the door to my room, wincing as I realized I wasn't in any condition to be running on my legs. Neville was halfway out of the fire, his arms lying against the ground and his fingers drumming on the carpet. He looked up at my entrance and I stumbled forward into his arms. He climbed even more out of the fire, not even wanting to care anymore I suppose, and held me partially against him. Half of his torso was out of the fire and it was close enough to make me much happier than I had been.

"Oh God…" Neville moaned, "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Maggie…"

"I'm fine," I answered weakly, unable to insert a chuckle of reassurance, "I'm fine."

"No you're not! You limped in here!" he cried, "What happened?'

"Selena woke up and tried to escape when we brought her back to DC," I paused, "We managed to contain her though."

"And she hurt you!" Neville growled loudly.

"It's OK, really," I insisted.

"NO!" Neville roared, "It's _not_ OK! Do you _realize_ how _terrified_ I've been! On the wireless yesterday, I'm just listening to the news because Kingsley was having some trouble with some idiotic recently-graduated Slytherin's trying to be the Neo-Death-Eaters and crap, and suddenly 'THIS JUST IN,' and it's Lee and he sounds scared, and Lee _never_ sounds scared, and he goes on…"

"Neville," I tried to interject but he ignored me.

"To say, 'As many know, there is a current violent uprising in the States within the ranks of those known as the 'dragon riders,' which obviously peaked my attention because I _know_ about that, 'Called the Unionists. Currently, a small squad of fighters of the official, peace-keeping UDRA- United Dragon Rider's Association- has been sent down to Baja California in Mexico to deal with a group of Unionists there. Now, the only reason we are reporting this here is because a veteran of the recent War against Voldemort, Maggie Johnson, is in that group from the UDRA. Furthermore, we have received reports that the group from the UDRA has been _ambushed_,'" Neville sobbed, "_Ambushed. Ambushed. Ambushed. **I HATE THAT WORD MAGGIE!**_," his head hit my lap and he sobbed into it, his entire body shaking.

"Nev," I whispered, but my own voice was breaking.

"'The group from the UDRA has been ambushed by the Unionist faction and casualties have been sustained on both sides. We all anxiously wait here at the headquarters of Potterwatch to hear of further details.' And almost immediately afterwards, when I'm just trying to digest this information, everyone's calling me on my muggle phone or through the floo, asking how you are, if I'd heard anything, and _I knew nothing. NOTHING!_ Everyone was terrified and freaking out and I was supposed to be the strong one when all I wanted to do was apparate to America and find you, no matter how many people I'd have to kill or get through to get to you! _Maggie_," he sobbed, holding tightly to my shoulders.

"I'm fine," I tried to insist.

"No!" he shouted again, "You're _not_, stop trying to protect me! I don't care anymore about that, Maggie. I won't come through, I promise, and who gives a shit if I do? _YOUR PRESIDENT DIDN'T SAY THERE'D BE A WAR!_" he screamed.

"I know," I sobbed, wishing I could calm him down.

"_HE SAID THERE'D BE FOUR YEARS OF YOU SERVING YOUR COUNTRY AND THEN WE'D BE BACK TOGETHER, NOT THAT IN THOSE FOUR YEARS YOU WOULD HAVE EVERY CHANCE OF GETTING KILLED!_" Neville shouted.

"He couldn't have foreseen this, Nev!" I cried.

"_IF I HAD KNOWN THIS WOULD HAPPEN, I WOULD HAVE FOUGHT HARDER!"_ Neville roared, "_I WOULD HAVE DONE EVERYTHING I COULD TO KEEP YOU FROM GOING BACK TO AMERICA! WHO GIVES A CRAP IF I COME THROUGH, YOU COULD DIE! DON'T THEY GET THAT I CAN DIE TOO? THAT IF YOU DIE THAILUS DIES AND EMRALDA DIES AND **I DIE WITHOUT EVER SEEING YOU AGAIN**_?" Neville finally broke into sobs, his head on my shoulder, his body shaking.

I had started sobbing too, but that wasn't as much because of what Neville had said- the reality of what he was saying had sunk in the night we came across the Unionists- but over Seth, Nikki, and their nameless dragons, whom I had killed, on accident.

All with one blast of energy.

Neville pulled back and looked at me, shocked, as I curled up on the floor in a fetal position and continued to sob. His mouth opened slightly and his expression changed from fury and fear to compassion and love.

"Mags?" he whispered, "Maggie?"

I continued to sob, all the anxiety flowing out, from realizing I could never see Neville again to Nikki's dead and young body to Selena almost dying over Lake Michigan, fighting so hard to be free- and to be with Elphias- that she was willing to do _anything_ to get away, even use an Unforgiveable on Pill…

"Margaret?" he whispered again, using my full name, which he hardly ever did, "Sweetheart?"

I sat up, still shaking with sobs, and fell on his half-out body, holding to him tightly and for dear life.

"I-I-I-I…" I stammered, "I…"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so mad just then," Neville whispered.

I shook my head, "N-No… I'm j-j-just… Shocked…"

"Why? What happened, love?" he murmured soothingly, holding me to him and now completely halfway out of the fire.

"I… I… I…" I swallowed, "I realized just how terrible and inconvenient this whole mating thing is."

Neville looked at me in shock, "R-Really?"

"Not because of us," I whispered, "I'm talking in general, though that means it applies to us. _I don't regret loving you, stop giving me that face, I'd give up the world for you_," I snapped at Neville's heartbroken face.

"Sorry," he mumbled and I nuzzled him gently.

"I hate that face, it makes me feel like I'm not loving you properly," I took a deep breath, "I swear to God, I wouldn't be able to live without you without this stupid mating thing."

"I know," he muttered.

"What's wrong, then?" I snapped angrily, "I'm enough of a wreck without you making me feel terrible."

Neville looked at me, shocked, before whispering, "S-Sorry."

I sighed and rubbed my forehead wearily, everything crashing down on me at once, "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't've… I shouldn't have snapped at you. I'm just really… _really_ tired and really… _really_ emotional…"

He nodded again, and took a deep breath as if to pull himself together, and whispered, "Start over?"

I agreed with a small incline of the head before kissing his lips softly. He mumbled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around me tightly, holding me to him.

"I realized how terrible it is, the dying due to the mate dying bit," I continued softly, "I… I didn't mean to, Nev… He was attacking me and I needed to defend myself and it was instinctual… I was fighting this guy, and he was obviously a rider and had a mate who was there… and I blasted him back from me with hand magic and he was still holding onto me so he dragged me with him and he fell into the sea and he was unconscious from the magic and he drowned and because of that his dragon died and his mate died and his mate's dragon died _and I didn't even mean to kill **him**_!" I sobbed, "I killed four people, none of whom I wanted to kill, simply capture, with one accidental bit of magic! How… How… I… I feel so… I _am_ so… so… awful I…"

Neville held me to him even tighter as I sobbed into his chest, gripping his shirtfront like a lifeline.

"You are not awful," Neville murmured soothingly, "You are a wonderful, wonderful person and it was an accident. I'm so sorry you had to go through that… Sweetheart…"

I sobbed harder, "I _am_ awful… I would leave here, right now, and be with you if I didn't… If I wasn't… Neville!" I screamed slightly, holding harder, "_Neville_…"

"Breathe," he urged, "Just breathe for now."

"I _don't know_ how I'm supposed to keep _doing_ this!" I cried, "How, Neville? _How_? If this was the beginning, and a weaker force, how am I supposed to keep going out there, fighting, fighting bigger and more dangerous forces, without having you by my side?"

He kissed my forehead but kept his lips there for a long while as my sobs quieted and I stopped shaking.

"You," he finally murmured when I pulled away from him and wiped off my eyes, "Are the strongest person I've ever met in all my days. Stronger than Harry or Ron or Hermione."

"That's a lie," I laughed weakly, "Harry Potter is a fricking badass."

"Be that as it may," Neville paused, "You are exceptionally strong, brave, and perseverant. I know that, out of all the people in the world I know, you will be able to pull through this."

I nodded and sniffled slightly as he reached out and gently stroked my cheek and caressed the side of my head. I sighed under his touch and closed my eyes.

"Just be careful," Neville murmured softly in my ear, "Don't go resorting to heroics every chance you get."

I laughed quietly, "OK."

He kissed me on the lips exceedingly softly and I nestled my head in the crook of his neck.

"Mind if Seamus comes through? We managed to fit two people in here yesterday when we were both freaking out and trying to get info out of your dad," Neville laughed quietly, "Is Kylie OK?"

"Kylie's fine," I paused, "And sure."

Neville nodded and his head turned, though half of his body was still out of the fire, and I could dimly hear him shout "SEAMUS!" Suddenly, another head popped through the fire.

"MAGGIE!" he sighed, breathing with visible relief, "Oh thank God. How are you?"

"Shaken," I paused, "But alive."

He nodded, "And my worthless cousin?"

"Fine," I reassured, "She went home to relax."

Seamus breathed with relief, "Good. I wish I could talk longer, but I have a date with Lavender and if I'm not on time she'll kill me."

Seamus' face had contorted into a clear grimace and I laughed quietly, "Having love troubles?"

"The girl's driving me mental!" Seamus shouted, "Yesterday, we didn't even have a _date_, but when I stayed here with Neville to await news of you guys she got all jealous! First off, you and Neville aren't even a _question_, why the _hell_ would she be jealous, second off, I'm worried about my bleedin' cousin!"

"I know, mate," Neville sighed, "You should just ditch her."

"I'm thinking about it, the feelings are definitely ebbing away," Seamus grimaced, "See you lot."

I waved and gave him a slight hug and he left. I turned to Neville, who had buried his face in my hair.

"I have to go be with my family," I murmured, "But I'll floo you soon."

"OK," he sighed, "Next time you have an assignment, is there a chance you'll have access to a floo?"

"I'll ask for it," I paused, "This was pretty awful. Maybe we'll be lucky. I love you," I felt tears pour out of my eyes again, "I really, really love you."

He kissed me and kissed the tears from my cheeks, "I love you too, more than you can possibly imagine. Go. Be with your family."

_Our family_, I thought sadly as I kissed his lips and watched him disappear in a whirl of flames. I stood up and walked into the twins' room, where Elena ran forward and hugged me tightly.

"I was so afraid!" she sobbed, "I didn't want to lose my sister!"

"I know," I whispered, "I know. Thank you for helping dad with the twins."

"Anything," she murmured, "If it came out that you had died I was immediately going to tell Neville about them, but it's good I didn't. They're fine, they have no idea that anything was wrong," she lead me over to Nate, who was playing with a muggle music toy, and Alice, who was rolling a ball away from her and bringing it back with magic, giggling loudly.

"How'd you keep their existence secret at all?" I asked, laughing slightly.

"Silencing charm," Elena paused, "You forget I'm of age now."

"Right," I grinned a little, "Well, I'm glad it all worked out. Thanks so much again."

"No problem," Elena smiled slightly, "Just be careful."

The next few weeks were quiet ones, allowing my partner to rest up and rehabilitate himself. I often found myself sitting with the twins in my lap, telling them stories of their father and of Britain, ignoring the outside world. When it had been a month, and was now the heat of summer, we got our next assignment.

"You'll be with your group in northernmost Washington State, southernmost British Columbia," Miss Olson explained, passing out papers to all of us, "There is a cabin there with enough space for you all, so it'll be a long term stay."

"How long, and what are we doing?" Ezra asked glumly. None of us were eager to get back out into the field.

"You will be stopping the transfer of Unionists across that very weak border from Canada to the US and vice-versa," Miss Olson paused, "In Canada they aren't being very strict about the Unionists but their groups aren't trying to abduct new subjects _and_ they don't believe in killing muggles, so they don't want any of our faction. Furthermore, the ones that are coming down from Canada are simply adding to the total _and_ they tend to be the violent ones, because Canada does come down hard on those. And that is the weakest portion of the boarder, especially where dragons are concerned, so we need someone to stop transfers."

"And we'll be there indefinitely?" Richard asked glumly.

"Until the problem stops," Miss Olson paused, "Canada is working on closing up the border more firmly, because they really don't want _any_ of our Unionists- even _their_ Unionists- but that could take years."

"Will the Floo network be connected to the cabin?" Kylie asked softly, looking at me from the corner of her eye.

"Yes," Miss Olson looked directly at me, "As much and wherever you want, since this will be a long stay."

"Will we get any vacations?" Pill asked, completely oblivious of my visible relief or that Kylie had gently patted my shoulder.

"On quiet days, you may leave via the floo network to visit your family or go out, but only a few people at a time- there needs to be at least three at the cabin at one time- and only for a little while. We will not be monitoring that floo network though, just in case _our_ monitoring systems are under watch. This is all very, very secret," Miss Olson paused.

"You won't be monitoring it?" I asked in amazement, "You think you're under watch?"

"We _know_ we are," Miss Olson paused, "There is a Unionist inside the UDRA, we know that much. Unfortunately, we cannot pin it on any one person."

My mind flickered briefly back to Gerald, before insisting, _no, he would NEVER do that…_

"You all shall leave in a week. Pack your possessions, say your goodbyes. Your families and homes will be give the best protection short of a Fidelius Charm, but we don't want to have to resort to that yet," Miss Olson waved us off.

It goes without saying that Neville and my father and my sister were all in much more favor of this state of affairs than the last one, though the amount of time I would be away from my children was worrying. Unfortunately, no mention of this could be made, as the only people outside of Elena, my Dad, the instructors at the Academy, the healer, and Kylie who even knew their existence were Dr. Tennys and Miss Olson, and we wanted to keep it that way, because it put them out of risk.

The cabin, once we reached it flying atop our dragons, was small and simple. There were two bedrooms for three people each (a twin bed and bunk beds, night stands, a dresser, and a desk,) a kitchen, a living room which had a fire place, and two bathrooms. The walls were made of logs and the windows were very simple and small. After throwing my crap on the top bunk in the designated girl's room, I turned to Kylie.

"I'm going to go call Neville, if that's alright… I promised him I would," I sighed. She nodded and I walked off, hearing Leslie ask, "Who's Neville?"

Realization hit me with the force of twenty Hagrids. I hadn't told many people of Neville, either.

_Well, they were going to find out now_, I thought gloomily. He was safer than the twins, being in the UK, and I couldn't _not_ floo him.

I went up to the fireplace and threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire, calling out his address. The flames whirled around me and I found myself staring at the living room, where Seamus and Lavender were standing in the middle. Neville was nowhere to be seen.

"WHAT DO YOU _MEAN_ YOU'RE SICK OF IT?" Lavender screamed. I felt my eyes widen.

"WHAT DO YOU _THINK_ I MEAN?" Seamus roared. He turned and jumped when he saw me.

"DON'T TALK TO HER NOW, YOU'RE TALKING TO _ME_! YOUR _GIRLFRIEND! REMEMBER THAT?"_ Lavender screeched in response.

"I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOING TO BE THAT WAY MUCH LONGER!" Seamus snarled. I swallowed and tried to get out of the fire.

"Neville's in his room," Seamus muttered. I nodded and pulled my head out in amazement, coughing slightly from the soot.

I shouted the address again, but adding on 'Neville's Room!', only to see his own head pop through my fireplace.

"Sorry about that, love," Neville paused, "I think they've finally reached the breaking point. Anyway, Seamus came in to tell me you had called, so I did 'recent floo location'- it's a really brilliant thing they've come up with based on how muggles can find out the number that just called them."

"Gotcha," I smiled slightly, "Well, next time, all you have to do is 'The Log Cabin, Washington, USA.'"

"Excellent," Neville grinned and kissed my cheek.

"What happened to make them like this?" I asked curiously.

"Seamus said something about you," Neville rolled his eyes, "She is hypersensitive to you now even though she _knows_ you're the _last_ person to worry about, and Seamus freaked out, saying it wasn't any of her business if he wanted to talk to you, and if you were friends. And then he said something I'm just going to ignore."

"What?" I asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter, you chose me," Neville murmured softly. I kissed him and he sighed beneath it.

"You're right, but I can tell you're still worried," I smiled cheekily.

"Well… they were arguing and he finally shouted out, 'AND I NEVER BLEEDIN' STOPPED LOVIN' HER! I MIGHT HAVE FALLEN FOR YOU, I MIGHT REALIZE SHE'LL NEVER LOVE ME, BUT I'LL ALWAYS BLEEDIN' LOVE MAGGIE JOHNSON AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT OR EVEN _EQUAL IT_,'" Neville blushed furiously, "I'm going to ignore the fact that he said that."

I felt my jaw drop slightly, "You're kidding."

"No," Neville paused, "Don't tell him I told you, either."

"Never," I kissed him again, "What would there be to gain? I hope he can… get over it, though…"

"Me too," Neville sighed, "I don't really begrudge him his feelings anymore, what point would there be, but… the fact that he hasn't gotten over it yet…"

"Is worrying," I agreed, "Take him out to meet someone tonight, like at a muggle pub, _please_. I won't be able to live with myself if I put him through that… or anyone."

"Hopefully you won't be attracting the affections of anyone else," Neville grinned cheekily, "Though how could I ever blame anyone for falling in love with you?"

"You really can't," I laughed, kissing him, "Don't worry, the bond between us is magically based and unbreakable."

"Sweet," he grinned again and kissed me, "You really don't have to worry about that on my end, girls _never_ fancy me."

"You'd be surprised," I rolled my eyes, "You proved in the war that you're a freaking badass mother f***er. You sliced off Nagini's head when your own was on fire!"

Neville blushed bashfully, "Well, I dunno…"

"Of course you did. And you stood up to Voldemort and you kept fighting all year and you took up Harry Potter's mantel and you chased down Death Eaters when it was all over and you are a _badass_, Neville Longbottom," I grinned cheekily at him, "My hero."

He blushed even more furiously, his entire face turning tomato red. I giggled and kissed his cheek, whispering sensuously in his ear, "My savior, my hero, both on the battlefield and in the bedroom."

He couldn't have turned redder than what he had been but somehow he managed to, the color reaching up past the roots of his hair. A Weasley would have been jealous.

"_Maggie_," he whispered, amazed. I giggled again and kissed his ear. Suddenly, footsteps lead into the living room and Ezra and Richard rounded the corner.

"Hey Maggie- who is that?" Ezra asked in amazement. Richard looked completely shocked and then his eyes narrowed.

"Uhh…" I felt my face color furiously, and Neville's drained of color.

"You didn't tell them about me, eh?" Neville asked cheekily.

"You _know_ I didn't, and it's especially important that I don't now, because that means you're safe," I rolled my eyes, running my fingers through his hair.

"Oh fine, fine. Hello gents," Neville beamed, "I'm Neville Longbottom."

"You aren't from America are you?" Ezra asked. Richard seemed unable to speak.

"Nope, I'm from the UK- first Cardiff and then Leeds, actually. Pleased to meet you- Maggie's probably mentioned you, but what are your names?" Neville was smiling cheerfully.

"I'm Ezra and that's Richard," Ezra pointed, "How d'you know Maggie?"

"Well, we got to know each other when she fought in the war over here, didn't we?" Neville looked at me with a small smile. I rolled my eyes at him and gently patted the top of his head.

"And while Maggie is in her consigned service to the UDRA we talk via the floo," Neville shrugged.

"You're in consigned service?" Ezra and Richard asked at once.

"Long story," I grinned over at Neville, who beamed back, "I'll tell you later."

"But why would you _want_ to floo?" Richard grumbled.

"You didn't mention he was thick," Neville raised an eyebrow.

I blushed furiously as I responded, "Well, he's… erm… he's my mate."

Ezra's eyebrows flew up into his hairline and Richard's eyes narrowed even more.

"You're kidding," Ezra laughed, "You never mentioned you had a mate."

"It never came up," I continued to blush furiously as Neville chuckled softly beside me.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Neville. Feel free to floo anytime and we'll get Maggie," Ezra nodded, "We'll leave you two alone, eh?"

I smiled in thanks as he practically dragged the fuming Richard out of the room.

Besides flooing Neville and sitting around talking to each other, the days in the cabin were slow and monotonous. The dragons flew patrols along the border and never seemed to catch anyone. The closest thing we had to action at one point were two young teens trying to sneak across from our side, but upon questioning it became evident that a, they were muggles, and b, they were trying to escape the latest United States President, whom they disagreed with. We had to erase their memories and send them on their way.

And so the year turned into the next, and I realized that my last year of consigned service to the UDRA would start this year.

In my foolishness, I thought this meant that in a year's time, I'd be planning my return home.

How silly of me.

AN: The next chapter is entirely in Neville's POV- get excited! Sorry this one didn't have much action, but I enjoyed writing Neville and Maggie's first quasi-fight.  
Today, is my birthday. I would love, for some reviews, for my birthday. Seriously. Come on, just a little review for a birthday present? Please?  
POTTERMORE USERNAME: Aurorseeker191  
PLEASE REVIEW!


	26. Ch 7: Breaking a Rule

Ch. 7: Breaking a Rule

_I want to reconcile the violence in your heart_

_I want to recognize your beauty's not just a mask_

_I want to exorcise the demons from your past_

_I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart_

_~Undisclosed Desires by Muse_

AN: I usually don't put these at the beginning, so you know it's serious when I do.

Not a single review for my birthday. Thanks a lot. I at least expected to get the same number as usual, two. You guys really don't have the time to type yay can't wait for next chapter? That took me all of two seconds. You really are heartless.

I'm not updating unless I get some reviews. That's the way it goes. Four, to make up for last chapter. I usually don't do that, but this whole lack of review deal makes me very, very sad. So when you reach the last word, review the damn thing. Or else, all you people who favorite it every freaking day won't get another chapter. Sorry. That's the way it goes.

Four reviews.

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW

I would often call Maggie on the floo during the two years she spent patrolling the Canadian-USA border, but a lot of the time, she was simply too busy- or on patrol- to talk. Other times, I would call, and no one would be there to explain the absence at all.

It was fine, really… I wasn't torn up with worry for her or anything like that.

I actually had been worsened by the constant worry. As the time moved on, my hair got longer due to not having the urge to cut it, I was scruffy all the time- not because she found it as sexy as she did, but because I kept forgetting to shave (it bothered me a lot to have it that scruffy, and unless there was a chance we would 'get busy', why bother, and there wasn't a chance,) and I lost a lot of weight. At one time in my life, I would have been happy with the last bit- my face was noticeably thinner, and I needed to get new trousers- but when I got together with Maggie…

It isn't so much as she said she liked that I was, quote-on-quote, 'cuddly,' but that I had a raised self-esteem and didn't see why I needed to be as skinny as the other guys.

So I lost weight because there would be days when I just didn't eat, not because I was trying to. And everyone could tell it was from the former- there is a noticeable difference between someone who's lost weight on purpose (healthier, unless they have an eating disorder or something,) and someone who's been doing so out of neglect (they're tired, sickly, and pale- just as I was.)

I also had circles under my eyes and would often find my hand shaking of its own accord. I didn't sleep much, either.

I was sitting in the living room of the flat, a coffee in my hands, warming them up. I hadn't bothered to light the fireplace, though it would have only taken a flick of my wand.

"Hey Neville," Seamus nodded at me as he left the flat to go to work at the Ministry. I nodded, not really looking at him as I continued to stare off into nothing.

"What's up?" he asked, doubling back, "Oh, sorry, that's a dumb question."

I shrugged, still silent, "I'm terrified."

"How long?"

"Three days," I whispered hoarsely.

"If she were dead," Seamus started encouragingly.

"Yeah, well, she could be seriously injured, couldn't she?" I snapped, before sighing and rubbing my forehead, "Don't you have work?"

"Don't you?" Seamus retorted, raising his eyebrow.

"I… yeah," I sighed again and stood up to go put on my lap robes.

I found that more and more during work I was just going through the motions, not really putting in my best effort, though still helping out with the experiments and researching different properties of plants. My heart wasn't in it any more, not because I didn't love the plants, but that something was distracting me in the back of my head. An oval shaped face with teal eyes and brown hair that kept falling in front of her face.

I always wanted to clip up that hair so I could better look into both of those eyes.

Some days, it was different. Some days, the plants provided a benevolent distraction, and I would get so swept up in the amazingness of each leaf and each miraculous stem that I would almost forget that lingering presence in the back of my head- just for one precious moment.

That day, it was merely monotonous, and I went home feeling more stressed than ever. I collapsed in front of the fire and threw floo powder into it, thinking of how fruitless this latest floo would be.

I thought for a moment, and decided for a change to call her dad. I found myself staring into her empty, rather dusty, bedroom. I sighed and looked over at the open door with a frown on my face. I could hear the wails of a child and this confused me greatly.

I frowned as Mr. Johnson walked past the room, holding a baby slightly over the age of one. He doubled back when he saw me and his face seemed to pale greatly.

"… Neville?" he asked in shock, walking into the room. The baby in his arms was playing with a stuffed toad animal. He looked a _lot_ like Maggie.

"Hi Mr. Johnson, I'm really sorry for bothering you," I swallowed, "I just… I needed to talk to someone about Maggie and how long it's been since she's contacted anyone…"

"Right," Mr. Johnson answered breathlessly, "Just… give me a moment. Um… watch him, won't you?" he asked, putting the child in front of me. The baby looked up at me with very wide eyes, blinking curiously.

"Why d'you have him?" I asked, equally curious.

"He's... my cousin's kid," Mr. Johnson hesitated slightly, making me confused, "His twin is in the other room. I promised I'd babysit. Um… his name is Nate. I'll be back in a moment."

I watched him go in confusion and turned back to the kid. Nate was playing with his frog. He couldn't have been much older than one year.

" 'Ello Nate," I greeted cheerfully. The boy looked up at me, frowned, and looked back at the frog.

"What's the name of your frog there?" I asked, knowing full well he probably wouldn't be able to respond.

He looked back to me, then to the frog, and muttered, "Da."

I raised an eyebrow, "Da? You named your frog 'Da'?"

He looked at me again and said, more firmly, "Da."

"Alright then," I smiled slightly. Who was I to begrudge a child the name of their toad? Especially a child that was so strikingly like Maggie.

What struck me as strange with that, however, is that Maggie's father had always asserted that she looked almost exactly like her mum, except her mum had had dark red hair, and before she had bonded with Thailus Maggie had the same bright green eyes. Thanks to Thailus' blue coloring, her eyes had changed slightly to be a mix between the blue and the green, aka teal.

So why would someone related only to her father's side of the family look exactly like her, and therefore, her mum?

Perhaps he had meant "my wife's cousin's kid"… but as far as Maggie knew, her mum had no relatives- or at least, none she ever mentioned. Or maybe he was Elena's daughter, and Mr. Johnson was embarrassed? That could be it. I hardly ever saw Elena anymore.

_Couldn't be mine and Maggie's, she'd have told me_, I thought fleetingly, before firmly reiterating the point in my head, _definitely would have told me._

He played with the frog contentedly, a smile on his face.

"Why'd you name him 'Da'?" I asked curiously. However, Nate was too young to understand, so he simply looked at me with a frown on his face.

"Da," he responded, though with a large grin on his face. When Mr. Johnson came back in, he declared once again, "Da!"

"Yes, well," Mr. Johnson seemed to splutter for a moment, "I'll take him away, shall I?"

"Ok," I shrugged, and reached out an arm to gently pat the kid on the head. For some reason, I didn't want to stop- I wanted to hug him, kiss him on the top of the head. It was the strangest feeling, like that I felt for the plants I cared for the longest and the most, but stronger.

Mr. Johnson picked him up and walked out of the room, but Nate wouldn't stop looking over his shoulder at me.

When Mr. Johnson came back, he briefly looked at the dresser next to Maggie's bed, where there were two picture frames.

"What are those of, Mr. Johnson?" I asked curiously.

He brought them over. One was of me and Maggie, my arms around her waist and hers around my neck, not looking at the camera but our foreheads pressed together. The other was of an identical copy of Maggie, except with red hair and green eyes- her mum- with her arms around two people very familiar to me. One was Albus Dumbledore, and he, like Maggie's mum, was laughing. The other was Severus Snape, who was sneering most of the time but occasionally his face would break into a reluctant smile, especially when the figure of Maggie's mum would look over at him.

"That's her mum, isn't it?" I asked softly.

"Yes," Mr. Johnson paused, "She became very close to Dumbledore and Snape when in Britain. When Melinda died I originally was going to put the picture in storage, but Maggie asked to have it. I suppose she misses Snape."

"Yeah," my memories flickered back to our occasional conversations about the man, whom she spoke of like a father or a fond uncle, "She does."

"Well," he set the frames down on the floor, where the figures continued their movement undeterred, "What's up, Neville?"

"I just…" I sighed, breathing deeply, "I am terrified about Maggie, and… no one back home understands very much. I wanted… I knew you would be equally worried."

"Yes," he paused, "I am very, very worried. I have not heard from her in three days."

"Nor have I," I sighed, relieved that he hadn't heard anything bad but terrified that he hadn't heard anything good, "And it's agonizing."

"Extremely," Mr. Johnson paused, "But I am used to it."

"Why?" I asked softly, curious again.

"Melinda had a very dangerous job, son," Mr. Johnson sighed, "Extraordinarily. The UK during your war wasn't even the most dangerous environment she had been sent into- during the Japanese Wizard-Goblin war of 1984, she was imprisoned for a full seven months with very little sustenance, no contact to the outside world, and occasional torture. Every time she left, especially when she left for a country in a known state of war, I'd fear that she wouldn't come back. And I loved Melinda, deeply- every day without her is a terrible one for me."

"I'm sorry, sir," I whispered, filled with newfound respect and camaraderie with the man.

"It wasn't like what you and Maggie have, though," Mr. Johnson said thoughtfully, "I could fall in love again, if I so choose, and so could she. Our souls are not as bound as you two."

"Doesn't seem to matter, though. Your wife loved you till she died," I shrugged.

"Yes," but Mr. Johnson was frowning now, seemingly deep in thought, a dark look in his eyes.

"How did you get through it?" I asked softly.

"By finding something to distract me, mainly," Mr. Johnson paused, "My apothecary business, my kids."

I thought of my plants woefully, "But what if it no longer distracts you?"

"Prayer works," Mr. Johnson murmured softly, "Prayer, and friends and family."

I nodded and muttered, "Thanks, Mr. Johnson."

"Call me Nathaniel," he smiled slightly, "If I hear anything from Maggie I'll be sure to let you know."

"Thanks," I smiled in return and left the fireplace, sighing to myself.

More weeks went by. I heard from Maggie sometimes- she was OK- but in the main, it was quiet. Professor Sprout was on her last year and Professor McGonagall came up to me personally to ask if I'd fill her position in the next year and be head of Gryffindor House, which I accepted gladly. Perhaps, students and implanting my love of Herbology would provide a needed distraction. Furthermore, Professor McGonagall was retiring, leaving the school's headship under the care of Professor Flitwick.

In the middle of the winter, I found myself debating whether or not to finally call Maggie on the floo that day. Seamus and Dean had gone out to the local pub to try and meet some girls, both having gotten sick of singlehood. I would go forward to the floo, thinking that it had been a day and that was long enough, only to double back, remembering that there had been a large group of Unionists trying to sneak over yesterday, and though the situation was "under control," she was extremely busy. But then I'd remind myself that it had been a day and double back again, and continued to second-guess myself for a full thirty minutes.

Finally I gritted my teeth and threw powder into the grate, unable to wait any longer.

I found myself staring at a completely empty living room. I frowned, and called out, "Hello?"

Kylie came running through the living room, not even looking in my direction, her red hair flying everywhere and her wand out. She doubled back, obviously having seen me out of the corner of her eye, and breathlessly said, "I'm so sorry Neville but we were just ambushed and I need to go and fight, Maggie'll be here as soon as we've stopped them!" And she ran away out of vision.

I watched her go, terrified, unwilling to leave but unable to just sit there. I fidgeted, squirmed, sighed, and begged to be free. I could hear shouts, explosions, and screams from far off and it was driving me mental. I found myself pulling out of the fireplace more and more, to crane my neck and try and catch a glimpse of the outside world, but the windows were small and hard to see through. Eventually, everything but my legs were out of the fireplace and I was standing on my hands, trying to crane for a look but only seeing bright flashes of red, gold, and green light.

A loud scream coursed through the air and chilled me to the bone. It sounded much too familiar for me, a reminder of terrible times, of standing helpless in the Great Hall, of desperation, of clawing at my insides to get to her, to realizations like rampaging Hippogriffs, to utter hopelessness.

I jumped out of the fireplace, unwilling to be caught like that again, unwilling to sit and do nothing for a second time in my life when I heard that scream. I pulled out my wand and my hand, fearfully recalling my few hand-magic lessons, and sprinted through the living room and out the distant door.

It was chaotic. Spells were flying everywhere like a muggle light show, and roars were shouting above my head as dragons - so many dragons! – flew into each other and fought. Fire spluttered everywhere, crackling in the air. I watched in amazement, unnoticed by the door to the log cabin in my cardigan and jeans. My eyes widened as Richard, still loathsome in my eyes, ran forward to a person I had never seen before and raised his hand up and wand up, and suddenly dirt came up like a wave of water and soared over his head and rolled down, sweeping away the person and blasting about the clearing, streams of dirt blowing about. I ducked back into the cabin and came back out, watching in amazement still. Kylie was actually surfing on a wave of the dirt, her feet on two large boulders that were being carted in the stream.

I looked around wildly, careful to not shoot any curses and alert my presence. I finally saw what I was looking for: a girl with vivid hair, dyed a brilliant shade of indigo, was standing over a girl shaking on the ground. A girl with dark brown, black highlighted hair.

"STUPEFY!" I screamed, and a jet of red light burst forth from my wand and hit the indigo-haired girl squarely in the chest as I ran forward after the light. She fell to the ground in a crumpled heap and, as curses started coming towards me, I was forced to ignore Maggie and block the curses, shooting my own and spinning around in a circle to cover everyone.

Kylie was battling with two wizards at once, one with shaggy black hair in front of his eyes, the other with blonde hair neatly combed back. I ran forward, thinking of Seamus, and began to help her, shooting curses about angrily.

The one with shaggy black hair was picked up by a _huge_ (and I mean, larger than _Thailus_ hugged,) black dragon as the blonde one crumpled under a stunner. I spun about to see Maggie up and about, looking incredibly confused, and fighting another witch, this time with hair blonder than a Malfoy's. Kylie only had time to open her mouth at my presence in shock before I ran forward and stunned the witch, turning back to fend off an attacker as I stood back-to-back against Maggie. I let out a sigh involuntarily at the feeling of her next to me, even though it was reverse of what I eagerly wished for.

"Wait, what- _NEVILLE?_" she shrieked, fighting a new opponent and unable to turn and confront me properly.

"Yell at me in a moment," I responded, battling two new opponents at once.

Curses flew back and forth and I could feel the light woosh past me every time one missed. I shot a stunner that narrowly missed the man with the shaggy black hair, who looked at me with the strangest expression of anger.

"COME ON," he shouted, and the ginormous black dragon swooped down and picked him up. This happened over and over again as every Unionist was rescued by their dragon, while Maggie's squad fought to keep some of them down. But, all too soon, the only dragons left were six conscious ones and three ones crumpled to the ground. But there were three witches standing and two wizards besides myself.

"RICHARD!" Kylie screamed, running forward to him crumpled on the ground, clearly unable to stop herself, though Maggie opened her mouth in protest. I couldn't help it, she was distracting me- my eyes were torn from the remains of the battle to examine her. She had scars and burns on her hands and her jumper had some tears in it. Her jeans were covered in dirt and her hair was wild and tangled. Her trainers were coming loose at the uppers and there was a cut in her lips.

Besides Richard, the indigo-haired witch was on the ground, as well as a small indigo-colored dragon. Also, a middle-aged witch and a twenty-something wizard were crumpled to the ground, with a brick red dragon and a periwinkle wyvern collapsed nearby.

A bright orange dragon walked forward and pressed her snout to Richard, over whom Kylie was sobbing. Leslie walked up to Kylie, her black hair even more messy than Maggie's, and tried to calm her down. Ezra and Pill were trying to bring the unconscious bodies over to their dragons, and Maggie was looking at me with her mouth open.

"How… how… how…" she stammered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Oi, Neville," Ezra called out, "Mind helpin' me out here?"

"Coming!" I shouted back, taking Maggie's hand and walking over to help Ezra put various containment charms over the three unconscious people and three dragons, as Pill did much the same. Maggie was still watching me with her mouth open.

"Maggie, if you aren't going to help out, go sit down or calm Kylie down," Pill shouted from where he was restraining the indigo dragon, "Stop bein' a lump!"

She did stop being a lump, but she didn't do anything that could be considered productive to anyone but me: she ran up behind me as I worked and threw her arms around my waist, sobbing into my back. I turned around and pulled her softly into my arms, breathing freely for the first time in years.

"Um… Maggie…" I heard someone stammer nervously, but Kylie (it was very obviously Kylie,) hissed, "Leave her alone, you insensitive twat."

I rubbed her back calmly and kissed the top of her head, forced into another flashback of her sobbing in my arms as I ran off and into hiding, away from the Carrows. But this time, I wasn't going to run away- not yet.

A long while passed before her sobs quieted, and everyone by that time had gone inside. I didn't move, still holding her tightly to me, unwilling to really let go. Her hands were clutching to my shoulder blades and her face was pressed directly over my heart.

"Nev," she mumbled hoarsely, "Nev, did they let you back in? Are we free? Nev?"

I swallowed, realizing that I was about to deeply disappoint her, and muttered, "No, I just… snuck in."

She pulled back from me with a shock and my entire being protested from the removal. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back to me forcefully.

"Neville, how could you?" she cried, "We are going to get into so much trouble!"

"No," I whispered, "That doesn't matter."

"Yes. It does!"

"It didn't matter, how about that?" my voice was hoarse, "It didn't matter, nor doesn't, whenever I hear you scream like that."

Maggie looked up at me, having buried her face in my arm before, her eyes slightly wide as she stared at me, "Ne-"

"Every time- whether you're in the dungeon at Hogwarts, or in the clearing at Voldemort's feet, or here- every time, nothing else, no rules, no people, nothing matters. Nothing," I closed my eyes tightly as I felt flashbacks zoom through my head: her writhing at the ground near me, unreachable, untouchable, unsaveable; the sound of her so far away beneath my feet as everything blurred away in front of me; a flash of light in a classroom as a teacher I loathed attacked a girl I didn't know and yet, my reaction to the idea of her being tortured was so deep, so soul-shaking, that I was confused beyond measure; and, briefly, glimpses of a woman with a kind round face, blurred in a child memory, transforming into a stretched, wrinkled face with wispy hair as a cackle fills my ears…

I felt her lips press to the base of my neck and I looked down to see her looking at me with her eyes filled with emotion, "I'm sorry, Neville."

"Why are you sorry?" I asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, I should've… I should have realized," she mumbled and kissed my jawline, "I understand."

I just wrapped my arms tightly around her and buried my face in her hair. A ghost of a cackling voice and a scream I would never hear again still filled my ears.

I had never remembered the moment after I was five until I heard Maggie screaming down in the dungeons- not even when the dementors had come on the train was the memory shaken loose. I had done a good job as a child in blocking it completely from my mind and all I could remember when a dementor glided past was my mum's screams.

But when I heard Maggie's screams, I remembered it all.

"But you have to go now," Maggie mumbled firmly into my chest, "You have to. We're _so close_ to the end, Nev…"

(We weren't even halfway done.)

"I can't," I muttered in response, "Not yet."

"But…" she mumbled hoarsely.

"No," I hissed, pulling her head up to look at me, her teal eyes piercing into my soul, "Not. Yet."

"Wha…" she gasped as I kissed her fiercely, holding her to me and entangling my fingers in her messy hair. I could feel her hands pressed against the back of my neck and I reached around to put my hand on the small of her back, pressing her more firmly to me. She let out a small sound, so small that no one else would have been able to hear it, but it drove me wild.

I pulled her up into my arms so her feet would leave the ground and she shrieked in surprise as I lifted her over my back, making sure to squeeze her bum as I walked over to the trees.

"NEVILLE RICHARD LONGBOTTOM!" Maggie screamed in my ear, making me chuckle, "LEMME DOWN!"

"Alrighty then," I answered cheerfully, setting her down next to a large tree. Before she could do or say anything, I pinned her up against the tree, trapping her hands under my own against the trunk and above her head. I looked down at her, hunger filling my being at the sight of her. She was ragged looking, as if I had already had my way with her more than once. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and I shifted closer to her, a small growl leaving my throat.

"Neville…" she whispered hoarsely, her voice breathless.

I leaned down (always a challenge, she was a full head below me,) and captured her lips in mine, pressing firmly to her against the tree. I could feel her hips lean into me and I growled loudly, pressing as close to her as I could and wrapping my arms tightly around her. She scooted up with her back on the tree and wrapped her legs tightly around my hips, her hands burying in my longer hair and everything lit on fire. I ground myself up against her and her grip on the back of my neck tightened. Knowing the view of the cabin to this area, I shifted around and we fell onto the forest floor.

The sun had passed directly over our heads and was now setting by the time we finally collapsed, exhausted, our breathing slowing down in contentment. Her hair was now a bush as she stretched her arm across my stomach, sighing contentedly. I gently stroked her sides, my eyes closed, my face pressed in her neck.

"You're bloody brilliant, you know that right?" she purred quietly, her lips on my stomach.

"You might have told me once or twice," I answered nonchalantly, a grin forming on my face. I felt her take my head from her neck and kiss me again, sighing in unison. I ran my tongue along the cut in her lip and she shivered slightly in my arms. She climbed and settled on me, her curves interlocking with me, making me groan happily. I opened my eyes to see her face inches from mine and I reached around with my hands to gently rest on her buttocks, making her grin lopsidedly. The sun shown behind her through the trees, and this made her look like she had some sort of halo.

"Well," I commented curiously, "Now I know what they mean by calling a girl an angel."

Maggie frowned, turned to look behind her, and smiled a little with understanding.

"So," I continued quietly, "When d'you think I should leave?"

"I don't want you to," she mumbled, now clearly upset, making me feel horrible.

"I don't want to," I asserted, "That's not what I meant! I mean… You're always so worried about this."

"I am worried," she acknowledged, "I just don't want to give a shit right now."

"Eventually they'll figure it out. You don't think one of your teammates will report it?" I asked, worried.

"If they do they know I'll kill them," Maggie snorted, "But soon. Soon you should…" her voice broke and she buried her face in my neck. I sighed and kissed her hair.

"I'll stay for dinner, if you'll have me," I asked quietly, "Then I'll go."

She beamed, her face breaking into the largest smile I had seen since before Mr. Fernandez had announced our upcoming separation. It _still_ sent my heart doing these weird backflips.

"OK, yeah, I'd like you to do that," she grinned, "Yeah! You helped us. You saved my life again," she smiled and pressed her nose to mine, "We can spare some foodstuffs."

I laughed and stood up, helping her get dressed with a sly grin on my face. She rolled her eyes but didn't seem to mind when I refused to stop holding her.

"You know, I haven't had time to magic my hair into its usual form…" she commented lightly as I buried my nose in it and drunk in its smell, "It probably is disgusting."

"Don't care," I responded belligerently, "You could be covered in mud for all I care."

She laughed, "Picturing a bikini mud wrestling contest are you?"

"That's just for blokes who aren't lucky enough to see their bird lookin' like the day she was born," I rolled my eyes. Maggie entered a fit of giggles that made me grin.

"I'd forgotten you used to say that to make fun of me," she explained. I grinned wider and hoisted her up into a large hug, holding her tightly.

"We're so close," I mumbled, "So close to this whole deal being done."

"And then, _every_ day will be like this," she sighed happily, "Every day, with you, happy."

I took her hand and pictured everything, staring into her eyes. I dressed her into a white dress and then undressed her. Babies upon babies passed in front of my eyes, bouncing in our laps and then growing older, dressing in Hogwarts robes and getting sorted. We were sitting on a bench, our hair wispy and grey not from torture but from old age, playing wizard chess and teasing each other.

"Always," I mumbled softly and kissed her. She traced her fingertips along my cheek and then ran forward, still holding onto my hand and thus dragging me forward with her. I let out a laugh as we ran back to the cabin, her giggling in that way that made me blush. She had never giggled, not once, before having gotten close to me, she says- and I believed it.

I changed something in her, and it thrilled me. I didn't have any clue what, but it made her giggle.

We entered the cabin where everyone was lounging in the living room, like I often found them doing when I flooed. They all looked up at our entrance and Kylie immediately burst out laughing.

"You two," she giggled, "You should see yourselves."

I felt my face flush and I looked down, observing Maggie's tangled hair. I thought it was unbelievably sexy, but perhaps that was because of the way it had gotten to be that way.

"You could have alerted a billion Unionists to where we were you know," Ezra commented offhandedly, though grinning.

"Huh?" Maggie asked breathlessly. I was about to whisper in her ear, knowing full well what they were on about, but that Richard bloke beat me to it.

"Lemme give you a replay," he had a sly grin on his face but his eyes were narrowed and dark, "_Oh, oh, ohhhhhh Neville, oh Neville!_"

Maggie's face colored the brightest red I had seen out of the Weasley family and I felt heat rise to my own cheeks. Everyone laughed at this and Kylie stood up.

"Staying for dinner?" she asked calmly, a kind smile on her face. I nodded and we all filed into the kitchen next door, and Pill (who was good at transfiguration) conjured up another chair out of thin air, which I sat in with a thanking nod.

Ezra brought out a plate filled with spaghetti and a bowl with meatballs, as both Maggie and he didn't eat the meatballs (being vegetarians.) Everyone took plates and started eating heartily, obviously famished after the battle outside. I was hungry too, having not eaten for a while again (I kept forgetting to eat,) but Maggie kept distracting me with her foot rubbing up and down my leg (probably payback for all the times I've distracted her.)

"Dude, Neville, eat more," she finally interjected, rather slyly, and everyone looked at us from their personal conversations, "You look so much thinner than the last time I saw you."

My face flushed slightly as I heaved more spaghetti into my mouth.

"Actually, I've only really seen your face, and I've noticed it too," Kylie commented, "What's been up? You look skinnier than the pictures Maggie has of you but pictures are never kind for weight."

"No, I've always been chubby," I paused thoughtfully.

"Cuddly. The word, Neville, is cuddly," Maggie had a fond smile on her face that boosted my self-esteem.

"But I guess… I've been really… preoccupied, lately," I muttered softly, "So I haven't been… eating on much of a regular schedule."

Maggie's eyes narrowed, "You're forgetting to eat? Because you're worried about me?"

"That's the non-nice way of putting it, yes," I rolled my eyes.

"Stop that," Maggie finished, looking upset, "You definitely do not look the most healthy you've ever been."

I raised my eyebrows at her and nodded, knowing in my heart that she was right.

"Look, would you two stop eye-screwing each other?" I heard Richard demand.

"Oh, like you do with everything that has two x chromosomes?" Leslie snapped back.

Everyone started laughing and I tore my gaze from Maggie's teal eyes, breathing slightly irregularly.

"So, you two are so freaking badass…" Pill started. I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.

"Badass?" I smirked slightly.

"Oh come _on_," he shrugged, "Maggie is often the last one standing when we're fighting, and when you came in today you could handle multiple dragon riders at once without being a rider yourself and with rudimentary hand magic skills."

"Fine," I rolled my eyes. Over the years since the final battle at Hogwarts, I had learned to not argue when someone called me a warrior or a 'badass.' Harry said this was wise.

"Anywho, so since you two are such badasses, care to share what happened to you during the British Magical Civil War?" Pill asked, a grin on his face.

"Uhm…" I looked at Maggie out the corner of her eye again. When sharing the story of what happened that crazy year, I often found it was impossible to not share what happened to Maggie, seeing as it had led to so much else and affected almost everything I did when she was in danger. She frowned slightly.

"Oh, I can tell you," Kylie grinned, "You only had to ask."

"Wait, you told Kylie everything? You haven't even told your family?" I turned full on to Maggie, who looked shocked.

"No, I didn't, so how did you find out?" she asked, a growl entering her voice, which was strange for her towards Kylie.

"I asked Seamus, because you've always been so evasive Maggie, and I was curious, I admit. Anywho, I told him if he didn't think he should tell he didn't have to tell me, but he did," Kylie frowned, "I won't tell them all if you don't want me to."

"You can," Maggie murmured softly. I jumped slightly in my seat and looked at her in amazement.

"Really?" I asked her just as softly. She looked up at me and nodded and I couldn't help but touch her cheek.

"Again, eye-screwing…" Richard groaned.

"Oh grow up," Kylie snapped, "They haven't been together for years now. I know you'll never understand because you'll never be lucky enough to have a girl fall for you, but just _try_ to stretch your _one brain cell_ far enough to comprehend that they _love each other_."

Silence pervaded over the formerly lively and happy table. Pill looked incredibly uncomfortable but Ezra had a small smirk on his face. Leslie was grinning.

Kylie then entered the story, from when Maggie came walking up to the castle (I still smile whenever I picture her, in her muggle garb and pissed-off demeanor, coming up and telling us all off. I'd like to say I loved her from that moment, but that's a lie. What _is_ true is that I felt bad for blowing her off and being rude to her, and I _did_ want to get to know her past angry arguments and snappy comments) to her revealing Hand Magic and Dragon Riding before someone interrupted.

"Wait a moment," Pill said, "Didn't you get in trouble? You broke the Inter-Americas Statute of Hand Magic Secrecy and the Inter-Asia-America Statute of Dragon Riding Secrecy!"

"Yeah," Maggie sighed, looking depressed, "That's why I'm here right now. Because I did so much for the UK later on in the war… you'll find out… and because I didn't reveal the secret when… again, spoilers… they didn't incarcerate me for five years but instead mandated me to a year at the Academy and three on the UDRA."

"So you're leaving in a year?" Richard snapped. Maggie looked up.

"Yes," she responded firmly, "I need to start my life for real. And Kingsley, the Minister of Magic, wants me to start a UKDRA."

I squeezed her shoulder in gratitude and she smiled at me.

Kylie went back into the story, and when she reached the torture by the Carrows Maggie seized up next to me. I could only imagine how much pain this brought her; perhaps she had blocked the memory from her mind or just managed to not think about it since leaving the UK. Everyone did the usual reaction to the awfulness, but I was more concerned with calming Maggie down, rubbing her arms and shoulders lovingly.

"I'd always wondered how you got all those scars," Ezra commented lightly.

Kylie continued with her story and managed to make it to the end without further interruptions. Everyone looked to be mildly abashed and speechless.

"Jesus, you cut off the snake's _head_?" Pill asked in awe. I shrugged and Maggie grinned at me.

"Well… yeah…" I smiled slightly and everyone started chattering in awe over what we had done. Maggie was beaming slightly and her hand squeezed my knee.

The dinner finished up with chattering and happy discussion of many things besides the War, and I could tell something had happened within Maggie at the revelation: she was more at ease, even more warm towards her teammates before she had been before.

As we started a plate of biscuits, Leslie asked, "So, are you guys going to go and get married, or are you not going to bother since it doesn't matter much?"

Maggie wordlessly held up her hand with her engagement ring and Kylie grinned widely, "Of course. I could have told you that Les."

"Not to mention, she wears that thing everywhere, I've always wondered but when she introduced Neville to us I thought 'duh,'" Ezra chuckled.

"How soon after she goes back?" Richard asked, but his tone was cold rather than genial. I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

"As soon as possible. Honestly, since he's here I'd just go and get it done now so we could have a claim to them not separating us anymore, but he wants it to be 'special' and 'meaningful' since the rest of our relationship has been so unconventional," Maggie grinned cheekily at me.

"Look, is it a crime that I want something to celebrate us? Or to make it all official? For Gran? Or that I want to see you in a beautiful white dress?" I grinned back in equal cheek.

"Nope," Maggie bit her lip to fight the smile.

"And you guys are all invited, of course," Maggie beamed at them all, even Richard, "I've been through a bunch with ya'll and I'm sure we'll go through much more before I'm allowed back in the UK. I _expect_ you to be there."

"Of course!" all but Richard answered. He merely nodded. I wondered, briefly, if we had another Seamus on our hands, but waved it off. Richard was just a sleazeball who wanted to be with every girl he saw, and was disappointed this was one hill he couldn't mount.

When I found myself back by the fireplace, there were no tears in either of our eyes. Her hands were balanced neatly on the back of my neck and her nose was pressed to mine as I gently held her shoulders.

"Love you," she sighed happily.

"I love you too," I grinned, kissing her lightly, "This was brilliant."

"It was that," Maggie murmured, "Just what I needed, I was getting depressed."

"Me too. Hence the no eating," I admitted, "But I'll be better now, I promise. Unless you want me to stay like this?"

"I want you to do whatever you want to do," Maggie shook her head, "I love you either way. You look sexy either way and you are still cuddly like this, though more due to cuddling rather than softness."

I grinned lopsidedly and kissed her again, "Anyway, it was definitely beneficial. I won't… I won't come through again for no reason or just because I can, but if I hear you in trouble I'll save you. Deal?"

"Deal," she beamed, "Maybe you'll have to save me again."

"I hope so, on the condition that I can," I chuckled and kissed her nose, "Well, I'll call you tomorrow I suppose."

"I expect nothing less," her eyes met mine and I made sure to imprint the image in my brain for future reference, before capturing her lips in mine and holding her tightly to me. She curled into me and we were entangled in each other for a good, long snog before I pulled away fully and walked back to the fire, holding to her hand before disappearing through it.

I would only see her face for a few more months before I lost her completely, until she came back in 2008. Only a few more months.

AN: Review condition still stands. Don't think that someone else will review. Because you can't count on that.

4 Reviews for this chapter before the next.


	27. Ch 8: Transformation

Ch. 8: Transformation

_To the rhythm of a time bomb ticking away_

_And the blare of the sirens combing the streets_

_Chased down like dogs we run from_

_Your grasp until the sun comes up_

_~Re-Education (Through Labor) by Rise Against_

The last year that I _had_ to be in the UDRA was the year the war changed from one of private attrition between the Unionistsw and the UDRA to one that was country-wide and deadly in scale. The seeds of this chaos and terribleness were being sown the last time I had seen Neville, but they were sprouting in earnest that Christmas.

I managed to go through the Floo to be with my family that Christmas Day (Richard, Ezra and Pill all stayed home Christmas Day and had gotten to go back Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.) The Christmas Tree was up and shining like mum had always done it, obviously an attempt by my father for some normality. Elena was sitting on the couch, sipping coffee and reading the newly opened book on her lap (_Caring for Thestrals for Pleasure and Profit_.) My dad was practically giggling setting up his new muggle piece of technology. And I was sitting in front of my kids, showing them pictures of their dad and estranged family, with their toys unwrapped and lying about everywhere.

"And this is Uncle Harry," I pointed, "He was the Chosen One and basically survived everything."

"Boy who Survived," Elena joked from the couch.

"Unc Har," Nate asserted, smiling at me. Alice nodded, looking annoyed at being shown up by her brother, and declared, "Uncy Harry!"

"Excellent kids," I beamed, ruffling Nate's hair and squeezing Alice's shoulder. I flipped to the next picture in the photo album, which was just of Neville, beaming and waving as usual.

"DA!" Nate and Alice cried out together.

"Yes," I felt tears come to my eyes, "That's your daddy."

Nate pointed to the picture and continued to beam, "Da!"

I kissed the top of his head and flipped the page. Alice eagerly identified, "AUN GIN! AUN GIN!" but Nate had begun to sob loudly.

"DA! DA! DA!" he cried, flailing his fists everywhere and clearly dissatisfied with Ginny's beaming picture.

"But, Nate-" I tried to interject, bemused.

"DA! DA! I WANT DA!" he screamed. I felt my eyes widen and I quickly flipped back to the other page and he immediately stopped sobbing, smiling and touching the picture. I swallowed and looked back at my family in shock.

"I have to tell you something," my dad sighed in embarrassment, and recounted the whole story of him, Nate, and Neville.

"DAD, how stupid could you be? He's probably _suspecting something now_," I sobbed as Nate and Alice got distracted by their new toys.

"He seemed pretty clueless when I walked in at the end, and has he mentioned anything to you?" my father snapped back.

"Well… well, no…" I sighed.

"And isn't it better that Nate has met his father?" my dad continued, "I don't think we can risk Alice, she looks exactly like him, but it worked out with Nate…"

"Did you _plan_ it?" I snapped.

"No, but you didn't answer my question."

"Yes, I'm glad Nate met his father. But it can't really happen again, it's unfair to Alice…"

"Alice is getting on just fine without her dad. She doesn't even get upset when you go back to the cabin, but Nate cries and cries for ages. I think he can meet his father again," my father snapped.

"You can't argue that it's unfair," I snapped back, standing up, "They _both_ should get to meet them but you're right, Alice looks exactly like Neville and it wouldn't work, so because she can't, _neither _of them can."

My father fumed mutinously as I sat down with the twins again and continued through the photo album. Both were excellent and learning all the names, but every time a picture of Neville came up, I had to wait to move on until Nate had finished giggling at his father.

The rest of the morning was spent watching Nate, newly accessing his magical talent, making his new toy music box fly above his head, carrying the music behind him as he walked into the kitchen to sneak a cookie. Alice was flying around on her toy broomstick in the living room, her childish laughter filling the house. My dad managed to set up his huge new telly and was watching it cheerfully. Finally, my sister was making sure Nate didn't break the music box, watching him carefully while reading her book.

I took that as an opportunity to go up and call Neville, which occupied me for a full hour, in which Christmas gifts and kisses were exchanged (I got him a new _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ as his old one had finally died, and he got me a simple silver necklace with a sapphire jewel hanging off the end, the exact same color as Thailus' hide.)

I came back downstairs with flushed cheeks and swooped Alice up from her broomstick, spinning her around in the air. She shrieked and giggled and I proceeded to take up Nate and tickle him, causing him to let out a giggle that was almost identical to Alice's.

"Ma!" he laughed, hugging me tightly. I sighed, feeling guilt enter my soul at how little I had been there. My job was just… not working for me.

"Yes Nate?" I asked cheerfully, looking at him in my arms, at his (used-to-be-identical) green eyes and identical hair to mine.

"Ma, wuv oo," he buried his face in my neck and I held him tightly to me.

"Love you too sweetheart," I rubbed his back and set him down as he played with his music box, making it change its tune.

We were all just sitting down to have some cookies when the entire foundation of the house shook. Elena and I stood up, pulling out our wands and hands, standing back to back anxiously. My father grabbed both of the kids and ran down into the basement, where it was safer from dragon attack than the upstairs.

"Ready Elena?" I asked nervously as another sonic boom shook the floorboards.

"I took ANEWT DADA for a reason," she replied angrily as we faced the backyard, where two huge dragons had landed. We ran out and both shot curses through the air. One of the dragons was the biggest dragon I had ever seen- bigger than Thailus, who was already huge- and as black as night, a stark contrast against the light sky.

Oscuro, the dragon of Jethro.

The other was the size of Thailus, so only slightly smaller, and a royal shade of purple, and wings that functioned almost like a set of arms in the way they folded and in their length, making up for the fact it was a wyvern.

Thystia, the dragon of Cara.

Both roared at us and the yard erupted in flames. Thailus was speeding towards us from his cave, but there were some tense moments as Elena and I fought two dragons and two humans without any aid. Jethro and Cara were there, which meant this was a terrible situation- Elisha was directly targeting me.

We actually managed to keep up for the two minutes before Thailus came swooping in, attacking the two dragons head on with a roar. Emralda appeared right behind him and the sky became a blur of green, blue, purple and black. The colors mixed in the air as did their flames, igniting the cold sky.

Jethro faced me directly as Cara faced Elena. Except for his stunners, the color of all his spells was the same as his hair, his eyes and his dragon: black. Mine, except for my stunners, was blue, and the air between us was filled with red, blue, and black.

"NO BOYFRIEND TO PROTECT YOU NOW!" he shouted, and his voice was surprisingly calm for someone shouting.

"DIDN'T NEED HIM TO TO BEGIN WITH!" I responded, managing to slash open his arm with _Sectumsempra_. He gritted his teeth and kept fighting despite the blood gleaming from his arm.

Suddenly, a roar let out: Thystia was bleeding and in lots of pain from a wound she had sustained at Thailus' claws. Cara tore away from Elena and ran, despite the spells being shot at her back from my sister, and grabbed onto Thystia's diamond-ended tail. Jethro continued to fight me and Cara head-on, which was strange- Unionists usually left if most of their original fighting force was incapacitated. So why was he staying just to bring me down? Especially when he was now outnumbered both by humans and by dragons?

"GIVE IT UP JETHRO!" I shouted. Elena said nothing, but she kept shooting curses at him, her eyes narrowed in distaste.

He said nothing in reply, but eventually was grabbed by Oscuro and taken away, the dragon roaring into the night. Jethro's blood splattered the air and Oscuro flew lopsidedly, meaning someone had broken his wing.

Emralda flew back but Thailus nuzzled me reassuringly before following. I stared at Elena, shocked and breathing heavily. She had a scar across her cheek that was red and bleeding and I walked up to her to heal her wound, though the scar that was left was horrifying.

"Thanks for the help Elena," I sighed.

"No problem," she shrugged, a frown appearing on her lips, her eyes darker than I had ever seen them, "Merry Christmas, eh?"

I laughed and we walked back inside, me staring over my shoulder in perpetual worry. My father glowered at me for my broken wrist but I shrugged it off- it wasn't like I could have acted any differently.

New Year's Eve we were all back at the cabin, celebrating in style and waiting for the clock to tick down to 2001. We were all properly wasted and laughter filled the air between us.

"Come on you lot!" Pill declared, a grin on his face, "Let's dance!"

Everyone started laughing and Kylie ran up to Pill immediately, unwilling to partner with Richard. Leslie and Richard partnered up and I goofed off with Ezra, both uncomfortable but still laughing, filled with drunkenness.

"You know, I've gotta mate too," Ezra slurred as we danced awkwardly.

"Really? Wasser name?" I asked breathlessly, wishing Neville was there for me to shag.

"Kita," he answered, a grin on his face, "She went into hidin' ever since tha Unionists started to become a problem, cause she doesn't want to get hurt or targeted."

"Gotta picture?" I asked, grinning.

He pulled out a small little locket from his pocket and I looked inside it to see a very pretty Native American girl.

"Nice!" I laughed, "Where isshe?"

"In… In Canada 'think…" he chuckled, hiccupping, "We write buuuuut she doesn' tellme where she… where she's."

"Don' you miss 'er?" I asked, my slight British accent becoming heavier, as it often did under alcohol (which I had only ever had a lot in Britain.)

"Loads," he frowned, "But i's safer… I's safer this way."

I nodded in agreement and we continued to dance in awkward silence.

Suddenly, roars erupted outside the cabin and above it, and we all knew what was going on from our dragons: more Unionists had arrived, directly targeting our cabin. We all sobered up slightly and ran outside, my heart pounding in my ears as Thailus picked me up from the ground and flew about.

_This,_ I thought wisely as I blindly attacked a dragon of a deep shade of blue, similar to Thailus, except he was a wyvern, _This is why Unionism is a dumb idea. If we were united, Thailus would be bloody wasted too._

The Unionists didn't seem eager to leave their dragons either, and the battle occurred entirely from the air, as fire exploded in it like fireworks. Curses flew but not often, as the chaos of flying dragons left an extreme amount of room for error. Thailus was tussling with the blue wyvern, claws flashing in the moonlight and his teeth digging into the wyvern's thin neck as she shrieked in pain. Her rider, a girl who had chosen to change her hair to her dragon's color, seemed to be holding on for dear life. I slowly came to the drunken realization that she couldn't have been any older than fifteen.

Thailus let go of the wyvern's neck upon this collective realization and we roared at the wyvern, chasing her out with her human, careful to not hurt either of them until we had chased them over the ocean. The girl and the wyvern turned to us in shock.

"Why aren't you killing us?" she asked in a very meek, New York accent.

"You're fifteen," I responded.

"Thirteen," she mumbled quietly, "I have big boobs."

I laughed out loud and she grinned slightly. I continued, "You're much too young for this. Why are you here?"

"I bonded with Marina," she patted the dragon's bloodied neck fondly, "When I was only eight."

"Me too, with Thailus," I answered cheerfully.

"And… well… I like the Unionist idea… and when someone at my school heard that…"

"Salem?"

"Yeah… when one of the seventh years heard that they recruited me. Plus, my mum was a unionist and was killed for it, so they wanted me to take her place," the girl mumbled.

My mind flashed to Draco Malfoy.

"Look," I paused, realizing I didn't know her name.

"Ashley," she whispered.

"Look, Ashley, even if you do believe in this whole philosophy, you're much too young for this," I whispered, "Do you really want to die? Do you really think this is worth it?"

She shook her head, "Ever since I joined up I've been terrified. I'm on the run from the law, I'm fighting and trying to kill people I've never met, I've only had one year of Dragon Riding class and that's not even like professional dragon riding stuff, I've dropped out of school, and I haven't seen my dad for months or my brothers!"

"Just quit, Ashley," I soothed, "You and your family will be given some of the best protection you can imagine."

Ashley looked very hesitant, and then murmured, "What is Unionism, exactly?"

"Something that really won't work Ashley," I whispered.

She and Marina flew over hesitantly and I held out my hand calmly, when behind me that calm voice called out, "ASHLEY! GET OVER HERE! WE'RE LEAVING!"

I turned on a dime and Thailus roared at Oscuro, and we met in midair. The dragons bit and clawed at each other and I had to hold onto Thailus' back spike for dear life over the Pacific Ocean. Thailus' claws made a huge gash in Oscuro's side and he roared, flame illuminating the night. Jethro reached out and tried to throw a punch at me but I dodged, close enough to see how dark and bloodshot his eyes were. Oscuro scratched at Thailus' neck and we both screamed, blood pouring from his wound as he bit down on Oscuro's snout, pulling him through the air angrily.

Behind us, the other Unionists were trying to get Ashley to fly with them, but she kept shouting out in protest. I knew that we'd have to fight off Jethro if we were to save Ashley, who almost hadn't survived this battle- if I hadn't realized how young she was I would have finished her off easily. She wouldn't get that kind of kindness from someone else.

Thailus continued to drag Oscuro through the air and finally flicked his head violently, letting go and sending Oscuro hurtling through the air. We flew forward rapidly and I grabbed Ashley off Marina's back and Marina followed us, amazingly fast as we sped through to the cabin. Ashley was sobbing heavily.

I turned around on Thailus' back and sent waves of energy at the Unionists who were chasing us, blasting them backward, my hair flying everywhere in the wind. They were stalled long enough for my team to overtake them and fight them off as Marina and Thailus landed in the clearing next to the cabin, Ashley falling to the ground and sobbing.

"OK," I soothed quietly, "OK, just come inside, and I'll be able to take you to the UDRA headquarters and I promise, they'll take care of you."

I helped her into the floo and sent Marina off with a portkey, sighing as I explained to Miss Olson the situation and she greeted Ashley with open arms. I fell back against the wall and looked up at Kylie, who had a huge gash in her forehead and her eyes were dark.

"Well, we managed to rescue a kid from herself," I sighed.

"Yeah, but we didn't get anyone actually dangerous," Kylie argued.

I thought back to something Snape had once said to me, something he claimed to be quoting from Dumbledore himself, "A scared kid is a huge danger, Kylie."

Draco's face when he cornered me in the hallway flashed in front of my eyes as I repeated, "A huge danger, to himself, and to everyone around him."

Things only got worse as the date marking one year left in the US of A approached. We were fighting Unionists almost every day and I felt my face become littered with scars. Everyone was exhausted, emotions were running high, and Neville (who had gained a healthy amount of weight over the holidays) was sickly thin again by the time that date came up.

I was standing in the UDRA headquarters, where a meeting of forces was commencing. The dragons were all listening outside and I sat next to Kylie with a concerned expression on my face. We hadn't had a meeting since the Unionists had become a problem less than a year ago.

"Well," Dr. Tennys addressed, his face grave, as was Miss Olson's next to him, "You all must be wondering what's going on today."

Nods flew through the group.

"We've been trying this past year to keep the Unionist… uprising," he said the word with clear distaste on his face, "Down. However, it has erupted beyond control. Current reports are clearly showing that half of all dragon rider pairs in the USA now subscribe to American Unionism," Dr. Tennys sighed, "And, as we all know, that other half isn't by any stretch of the imagination all in the UDRA. We are outnumbered."

A murmur erupted through the crowd and Kylie gripped my wrist.

"We have finally managed to track down our informant in the UDRA, though without any help from other Riders…" Dr. Tennys' shot a glare at Richard next to me, who looked shocked, "And he has been imprisoned, but we are still not in any better position than we were."

"Gerald?" Kylie asked in shock and both Richard and I shrugged in amazement.

"So, tomorrow, Miss Olson and I are officially going to the press and declaring the country to be in a state of acute warfare," Dr. Tennys sighed.

A roar of protest went through the group and it took a full five minutes for Dr. Tennys to calm everyone down.

"There are enough of them now that it _is_ a war, and they _are_ getting stronger, so wartime precautions _must_ be made! You will all soon be getting new assignments as we actively attack all known Unionists and seek shelter for those at risk. New, stricter security measures will be taken and these _will_ affect your lives, directly."

"Such as?" Ezra shot out in anger.

"Your families will be evacuated from the country, at first into Mexico without magic, but then will be apparrated into Canada, Japan, or Australia, based on random matches," he paused, "Families _will_ be kept together. You _will_ be doing this in groups with your families and with the families of your partners. That will be our primary concern for a while. Then, smaller groups will evacuate important Magical Senate and Government officials and their families. Your homes will all be placed under Fidelius Charms, the secret keeper being I or Miss Olson."

More outrage ran through the group and I thought of my twins, who wouldn't survive a walk to Mexico from Boston.

"Finally, communication is under direct monitoring," he paused, "And the Floo network will be shut down."

"WHAT?" I screamed, standing up. All the members of my team looked at me in worry as Thailus roared outside.

"Sit _down_, Rider Johnson," Dr. Tennys snapped. I remained standing, fuming so much steam must have been pouring from my ears.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" I shouted.

"Yes, I can, and I will, now please _sit down_," Dr. Tennys growled.

"NO! YOU CAN'T!" I gripped the chair in front of me and Kylie was trying to pull me down to sit again.

"I will speak with you directly after this meeting now _sit. Down._"

I did so, crossing my arms firmly in front of my chest and hot tears coming to my eyes.

"And all owl communication will be monitored. Now, not all is lost at this point: as we all know, every single adult witch and wizard and dragon who isn't a Rider is fully against American Militant Unionism, and for good reason. So we will start a draft soon, and that will add to our numbers, though the Unionists still have a clear edge, due to the strength and power of the bonds that they have more of. Only dragon children and a parent will be allowed to leave the country," he paused, "All other adults will stay, and we have discussed with the tribesleaders, who are in favor of this idea. Most witches and wizards will also be drafted unless they have children below school age, or have a job that is important to the war effort, such as healer or teacher or wandmaker. You will all be put on full time duty. Understand? Every Rider, even those coming directly out of school, will now fight- no more Academy, no more Internships."

A collective, grim nod went through the group and Kylie was holding tightly to my wrist as I felt myself shake madly.

"You'll get your assignments tomorrow and your time for evacuation. Many of you will have to help other families evacuate before yours will be given the chance, so you will have the Fidelius charm performed first. Rider Johnson," he nodded at me and everyone left, Kylie squeezing my wrist as I did so.

"You can't," I whispered again, tears forming in my eyes, "You can't do that. We have one year left, you can't…"

"We have to, for everyone's safety, including yours," Dr. Tennys sighed as Miss Olson wheeled her chair over to close the door, "No one knows about your children but your floo has been spied upon and they know about Neville. They could go over to the UK, kidnap him, and you _know_ you would do anything to save him."

I swallowed, painfully acknowledging the truth of those words.

"Furthermore, we aren't…" Dr. Tennys seemed to brace himself, "Here. Minister Shacklebolt will tell you."

Kingsley came out from a side room, his expression grave. I stared at him, my heart pounding in my ears.

"The Wizengamot has voted," he began in his usual calm voice, though it was grave, "I had nothing to do with the vote, except to vote against what they voted for."

"On what?" I asked, terrified.

"They have voted that, due to the US' state of warfare, your borders are closed to Britain," Kingsley's eyes were filled with pity, "You cannot come in, and we cannot go here. This includes Mr. Longbottom. Only I have a current exception, and I don't think there will be any others."

I felt my eyes widen, "I can't… I can't… I can't go _back_?"

"Not until the Wizengamot says it is safe for you to do so," Kingsley sighed, "We do not want your militant Unionists there."

"WHY?" I screamed, falling to the floor with tears in my eyes, "WHY?"

"I can assure you, Maggie, I voted against this. I wanted to bring you in, to where it's now comparably safer, immediately. You are much beloved, especially by people I consider myself close to, and I do not want to see you harmed, and therefore, Neville harmed. I am still fighting for an exception for you," Kingsley soothed, "And I will not stop until you're let back it."

"We have agreed that your service is up, and that you and the children and Thailus, can go when this happens," Dr. Tennys whispered.

"I have a funny feeling because you're letting him that means it isn't going to be within the year," I sniffled.

"I will work as hard as I can, but the Wizengamot is notorious at being slow on these things, they are terrified of the situation here, and there are many other cases being examined, and surely, they will postpone this one the longest," Kingsley sighed, "I'm afraid you're right."

I sobbed and covered my face with my hands, "Just _sneak me in_, then. Me and the kids."

"Kids?" Kingsley offset the question by turning to Dr. Tennys.

"Very few people know they exist, but Maggie bore twins. Neville's twins," Dr. Tennys sighed, "_Neville_ doesn't even know. I could tell you the people who do know and be able to count them, combined, on my hands and feet."

Kingsley's eyes widened, "But… May I use that? The Wizengamot might relent if…"

"No," I sighed, my heart breaking at the word. Dr. Tennys, Miss Olson, and Kingsley all stared at me in shock.

"You can't. They're safer when almost no one knows about them," I mumbled, "And it's going to take a while anyway, even with them as leverage. I want them safe."

"You sure, Miss Johnson?" Miss Olson whispered.

"I want them put under the Fidelius charm _with_ my home," I snapped back, "And I want a new home. The Unionists know where I live and even though they can't find it in theory, I'd never be able to leave the house."

"Agreed," Dr. Tennys replied firmly.

"I will be your Secret-Keeper," Kingsley murmured.

Silence pervaded as Dr. Tennys and Miss Olson looked at him in shock.

"It's safer," Kingsley paused, "I am less likely to be intercepted by someone else, and though it will be inconvenient if someone needs to go to her house, that is better for her, better for the children. I am thinking of Mr. Longbottom as well as Maggie here. I do not want his kids to be in any more danger than what is impossible to dilute."

"Alright," Dr. Tennys nodded, "Alright."

"I agree," I whispered, "Thank you."

"You can floo Neville once more," Kingsley paused, "Before we do the charm. Give her that," he snapped at Dr. Tennys' look, "Give _him_ that. One moment. I will tell him what is going on… might be multiple moments."

He stepped through the fireplace in a woosh of green flames and I stared at Dr. Tennys and Miss Olson.

"Promise," I whispered, "That on the event of my death…"

"Your children will be told about to Neville by Kingsley," Dr. Tennys agreed, "I will explain that to him. As soon as possible. Before he learns of your death. He hopefully will not die then."

"And if he does?" My voice was shaking.

"Then your children will be brought to the UK by any means necessary," Miss Olson snapped before Dr. Tennys could interject, "And will be placed under the care of a close friend of your choosing."

"Seamus Finnegan, Ron Weasley, or Harry Potter. Doesn't… Doesn't really matter…" I sniffled slightly.

"I will explain this to Kingsley," Dr. Tennys agreed.

"Do you wish for your family to be escorted first?" Miss Olson asked kindly. I glared at them.

"If this is your way of trying to make up for the fact that it's Mr. Fernandez' fault I'm in this situation…" I growled.

"Mr. Fernandez is dead," Dr. Tennys snapped back. I felt my jaw drop open.

"Jethro got him early this morning, that's why this is all happening and so fast. We have managed to keep it quiet, because it was in his home, but we'll have to tell the public that tomorrow too. Due to the stress and nature of the situation, I've been named acting Magical Senate President," Dr. Tennys explained.

"No…" I whispered. Miss Olson nodded.

"You understand, Maggie? They're trying to take over the country. Surely you have enough love for your home to try and help us until you can go to your new home?" she begged.

"I don't see what else I'd be doing except waiting," I whispered, "Of course."

"It'll put Mr. Longbottom at risk," Dr. Tennys paused.

"I can't do anything _but_ fight, fight to end it, so I can go home," I shook my head. At that moment, the flames turned green and Neville came running through, holding me in his arms and sobbing loudly.

"HOW COULD YOU?" he pulled away from me and screamed at Dr. Tennys, who looked startled. Neville looked crazed.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER? TO US? AFTER EVERYTHING SHE'S DONE FOR YOU! AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU CANNOT!" he roared, shaking Dr. Tennys in fury. I reached out, shouting at him but unable to make my voice louder than his, as Miss Olson helped Dr. Tennys get away from him.

"NEVILLE, CALM DOWN!" Kingsley shouted in a voice different than his usual calm one.

Neville continued to fume for a full fifteen minutes, shouting curse after curse at him, and in between the curses such things as, "THREE YEARS OF SEPARATION AND PAIN AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT _WORSE_," and "WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING YOU ASK! HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF?" and "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITHOUT HER? WHAT IS SHE WITHOUT ME? HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS THIS TIME, WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE EACH OTHER'S FACE?"

"Mr. Longbottom," Dr. Tennys finally interjected, "I understand why you are like this. But there is nothing I can do. Wouldn't you rather say goodbye to Miss Johnson?"

His fists clenched and he finally turned to me with tears streaming down his face as I threw my arms around him and held him tighter than I had ever done before. He picked me up slightly off the floor and I swayed on the spot.

"I love you," I sobbed in his ear, "And I'll write you, every day."

"I love you too," he responded, his hands holding me as tightly as held him, pressed closer to me than I thought possible, "And I'll do much the same."

"When I get over there we're getting married," I moaned, "And we're never leaving each other again."

"Never," he agreed, "And we're having kids and we're doing everything we've dreamed of and this will be a nightmare."

"I love you," I sobbed again, looking at him and trying to memorize every detail of his face as his eyes searched my face to do the same.

"I love you," he repeated, his hands entangled in my hair as we stood there shamelessly, ignoring the other three.

He kissed me, and I refused to move my lips from his, pressing them to him for a full five minutes, moving mine against his and running my hands all over him shamelessly as he did the same to me.

We continued kissing, after breaking the first one, for much longer, and the three didn't say anything but appeared to be discussing amongst themselves in low tones, Dr. Tennys probably trying to tell Kingsley about the kids without telling Neville (he didn't need that revelation then, it would only make things worse.)

Finally, Dr. Tennys whispered, "Please, you two, you have to go."

Neville broke away from me and I started sobbing again. He said, in a shaky and watery voice, "Don't cry, love, Maggie, don't cry."

"You're crying," I pointed out, holding his shoulder tightly.

Kingsley grasped his other shoulder and I hugged him once more round the middle as he whispered, "This isn't goodbye, because goodbye means the end. I _will_ see you again."

I nodded and held his hand as he approached the fire, Kingsley going in first.

"I love you," he reiterated.

"I love you," I agreed, and he disappeared into the flames, the last time I would see him for seven years.

I sobbed and walked out of the room, not looking at Dr. Tennys and Miss Olson, and stumbling into a bathroom nearby to press my forehead against a mirror and cry until I couldn't feel anything anymore.

AN: OH MY GOSH THANK YOU GUYS. Seriously. The overwhelming response to the last chapter almost made me cry. THANK YOU. Internet chocolate chip cookies for: Anonymous Person, oddsareinmyfavor, LeoDaLion, Anonymous, Royal shadow1, Sexii-chan, dreamerdrawerwriter7, Bubbles of Ebil, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, Talye Kendrin, and IloveNerds543. I'll try to respond to most of them. In response to one Anonymous review: I'm glad you like my OC, I'm rather proud of her because I worked for AGES on her personality before actually writing the story... I didn't want her to be a Mary-Sue, you know?

Seriously. Thank you all. I should have threatened to not update ages ago.

You guys have to understand that I have this whole thing planned out and basically written in my overly-cluttered brain, and I only post it here because I think it's a good story and I want to know what other people think of it, so reviews are the only reason it's up here and when I don't get any I get extraordinarily discouraged.

So, let's do that again, shall we? As you can see, when I got my four reviews I immediately started writing again.

So, four reviews for the next chapter. You proved you were more than able to do so :)

REVIEW!


	28. Ch 9: Refugees

Ch. 9: Refugees

_The radiation creeps_

_On cat's feet_

_We scatter in the streets_

_She asks me_

_"You think it's safe to breathe?" _

_It doesn't look that way to me_

_~A Gentleman's Coup by Rise Against_

Miss Olson never told me how she had gotten into a wheelchair. All I knew was, it had happened during the war between Cuba and the US in the late sixties. She was elderly now, a ghost of whom she had once been. The war between the Unionists and the US was becoming too much for her to take, so when the Fidelius Charm on my new tiny house in DC and on my children had been performed and Kingsley was gone, I wasn't as surprised to see her there as I might have been.

"I'm here to watch over your kids while you carry out missions," Miss Olson explained, almost needlessly, as she wheeled in and dropped off her bags, "Also, this way I can help run the UDRA form a safer location than headquarters."

"Don't reveal my children accidentally and I'll be OK with it," I responded, closing the door behind her as I shifted around some boxes.

"Do I have a room to stay?" she asked as she magically made her bags float above her. I nodded and lead her over to the guest bedroom on the first floor.

"Here. Um, lemme go get the kids," I explained and ran upstairs, where there were three bedrooms and a bathroom. Alice and Nate didn't show any signs of understanding that they had just had a huge charm placed on them that restricted them from basically going to school or anything at all. Alice was playing with toy drums and Nate was watching as brightly colored bubbles appeared from a tube of soap he had opened. I scooped Nate up off the floor and helped Alice down the stairs, holding tightly to her hand.

"Alice, Nate, this is Miss Olson," I introduced calmly, leading them towards her. Alice waved cheerfully but Nate buried his face in my shoulder shyly.

"She'll be looking after you guys for a while," I finished, encouragingly patting Nate on the back. Alice ran forward and waved closer to Miss Olson, as though she couldn't have seen her before.

"Hello Alice," Miss Olson smiled warmly at her and Alice beamed.

"Hi Miss Olson!" she cheerfully responded.

"No Aun El?" Nate asked me quietly. I shook my head.

"No, Auntie Elena and Grandpa have to go away for a while," I whispered sadly.

"No Gramp?" Nate wailed, looking even more upset.

"No Grandpa," I answered, frowning, "I'm sorry honey."

Nate began to sob louder, his face in my shoulder. I bounced him around and soothed him quietly, waiting out the wails until he was finished. I then put him down on the floor and he and Alice began to play around with the toys in the living room, ignoring Miss Olson quite well.

"Thank you, though," I murmured gratefully to her, "I don't think I would have been able to do this by myself."

"No, thank you," Miss Olson responded simply, "This hasn't been easy for you and it's the least I can do."

I nodded and went into my room, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill, staring at my owls Euclid and Darwin.

_Dearest Neville_,

_Here it is, the first of many. Tomorrow I go off to help bring my father and sister to Mexico where they will be transported to Australia- they got a long distance because of how heavily I've been targeted. _

_If you stop eating because you're worried about me, I won't stop bitching at you for a full week when I finally see you again. Keep yourself healthy you daft dimbo. _

_I love you._

_Anywho, so my writing will be sporadic. We are going to be walking from Boston to Agua Prieta, the checkpoint. It's really far, we'll be walking for thirty four days if we make good time and don't, you know, sleep. I hope my father will be up for the journey, he isn't as young as he once was. _

_So, until we get back in approximately sixty-eight days, I won't be writing with any sort of regularity. I'll be transporting Elena and my dad, and since that is such a small group, we're also bringing Pill's family and Richard's family. Next trip will be Kylie's by themselves, since she has that whole huge-Irish-family thing going on. Then we'll be taking Leslie's and Ezra's. After that, who knows? We might have to transport officials or people at risk, or maybe we'll actually be in active combat. But since we have to make a sixty four day journey three times, and with breaks in between, we'll definitely be doing this for a year. Not to mention, each journey will probably take longer than thirty four days, let's face it, when we're traveling with our families. We're talking months here. Especially since our approximate travel time doesn't account for rest stops and sleeping. So, sixty four days isn't accurate, at all. _

_Beyond that, I've moved- Kingsley's my Secret Keeper, but he'll tell you where I live so you can write to me. Though, like I say, for months, I won't be home, so just address the letter to me. I hate not being able to tell even my friends where I live, but it's safer that way. _

_Say hi to everyone for me. _

_I love you,  
Maggie xxxxxooooo_

I wanted to keep writing x's and o's until my hand fell off, my quill broke and I ran out of ink, but I refrained. I rolled up the parchment and handed it to Darwin.

"I'll be on the move, OK?" I whispered to the horned owl. He hooted in response and took off into the air, a brown dot quietly escaping into the distance. Euclid turned and hooted softly to me.

"You'll get to go tomorrow when we set out, don't worry," I laughed, patting his soft feathers and walking back downstairs.

The next morning, the old house was a mess. My father was packing up his necessities still (actually, he only had one bag, unlike my sister, who had four or five. I explained to her that she could only have one, though, and she shrugged and picked up one bag that she said she had packed the 'essentials' in, and each bag was ranked in essentiality.) Richard and his family, Pill and his, and the other members of the team were waiting at the exit point in the Public Garden (there was a section of it that muggles couldn't get at where we would take a portkey to a forest where the dragons were waiting.) My father gruffly accused me of rushing him as I hissed that the portkey was leaving in an hour.

"We'll just apparate there, we could get there one minute till," he scoffed.

"You know that we can't, now come _on_," I sighed.

"You're uprooting me from the home your mother and I have shared since we got married twenty-seven years ago," my father spat back, "Don't rush me."

I felt ashamed and shuffled my feet for a moment. He was soon done and we walked out of the house, my father not even looking back at it.

"I'll be coming back," he asserted gruffly at my questioning look, "This war will not last forever."

I nodded, containing my skepticism, and we reached the checkpoint.

Walking to Mexico doesn't even sound easier than it is- it sounds hard and it is hard. At first, traveling through the uninhabited areas of Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania was easy. It was only June, and thus, not yet too hot outside. Richard's family and Pill's family were both almost as small as mine- Richard was just transporting his older brother, mother, and father. Pill was stringing along his parents as well as two younger sisters, who all insisted on calling him Phillip. People took turns sleeping on one of the six dragon backs available and we managed to make excellent time, almost nonstop on the move.

One day when we were taking a rest (the dragons did need to occasionally,) I found myself talking with my father, the night above us in Pennsylvania clear and the stars out above our heads. My feet hurt and I was soaking them in a soothing potion as he laid back on his back and stared at the sky.

"You know, Margaret," he paused thoughtfully, "I have been very proud of you through this entire Neville mess."

"What d'you mean?" I asked curiously.

"You haven't broken down, shut off, stopped living just because he isn't around, whether not as much as you would have liked in the beginning or not at all now. You've been amazingly brave and strong," my father gave me a rare smile, "Working, helping this country, raising your kids."

"Thanks Dad," I responded, trying to not cry or show any over-excessive emotion at the statement, "That really means a lot."

He nodded gruffly.

A pause ensued as I poked the fire in front of us, watching sparks fly up into the air. Ever since I realized how important it was for me that the war end in a timely fashion, I had been repeating the prophecy I had overheard at Dr. Tennys' office in my head like a mantra.

_A lover, a foe, the one who survived, the one who is related to the chosen one and chose the one not chosen; a lover, a foe, the one who survived, and the one who is related to the chosen one and chose the one not chosen… a lover… a foe… the one who survived… related to chosen one… chose someone not chosen…_

Four people, and I knew nothing about them but that.

Of course, the entire group was buzzing in trying to figure it out; we were all sick of fighting and just wanted to go on with our lives. Kylie, one of the most active and hyper people I knew, wanted to _retire_.

"Maybe the foe is someone who crossed over from the Unionist side to ours," Leslie remarked calmly, lying on her back nearby, as my father rolled over to get some sleep.

"Can you think of anyone who's done that?" Pill asked gravely, "I can't think of one dang person."

"Ashley crossed over," I remarked curiously.

"Yeah, and she's thirteen!" Richard snapped in response.

"Yeah, she was so scared Maggie… I really don't see why she would be someone to end it all unless this war goes on for years and years and she gets to be older. Plus, that would mean she was never really a 'foe'... we never really fought her and she never was a huge Unionist…" Kylie agreed softly.

I shrugged, "It was the only thing I could think of."

"True, we don't have much else to go on," Kylie nodded, "Maybe someone will switch over?"

"You saw what they did to that one person who tried to come over to our side," Ezra laughed darkly, "It was all over the papers, how they killed him. No one would be crazy enough to try anything like that now."

"I vomited a little when I saw that paper," Kylie agreed, "So gross."

"I have this funny feeling, though," Ezra paused, "That most of the Unionists just like the ideas behind it, but not the all-or-none violence thing. So many of the ones we capture, upon being asked if they've killed or harmed any muggles, say 'no! of course not!' and other such sentiments."

"You have a point," I sighed, "There really hasn't been much on-muggle crime, and if they really believed that bit they'd be going all out, wouldn't they? Easier than targeting the UDRA."

"And Gerald never wanted to hurt anyone," Ezra continued in a very, very quiet voice. We all sighed, most of us having known Gerald and considered him a good friend.

Upon finding out that it had been him who was feeding information about the UDRA to the Unionists, he was immediately incarcerated at the American Wizarding Prison, Fort Flying Phoenix. Upon questioning, the UDRA discovered that none of the information he was feeding actually hurt anyone directly- he wasn't telling them where the cabin was, for example. And his belief in Unionism only extended so far as he thought it was a good idea to research the union of the bodies, but not in forcing people to do it and killing all muggles. Unfortunately, because of the spying he _had_ done, he was imprisoned for life.

"What about the lover?" Leslie repeated for the umpteenth time, "I mean, come on, it _has_ to be-"

"It isn't me," I snapped in response, "Look, I don't think it means any one particular lover of someone else. Besides, I'm not the most passionate lover out of everyone in America by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sorry, there is someone out there who better fits this description. Someone who would literally do anything to save the person they love, even after they are gone."

"You would," Kylie argued. We had been through this argument a million times.

"Or a mother who died to protect her son!" I snapped, thinking of Harry and his mum- Lily Potter, I believed, but I didn't know her maiden name, "Someone who's main personality trait, their claim to fame, is their love. Most of you guys didn't even _know_ about Neville until we reached the cabin. And I'm certainly a fighter over a lover, if we were to go by the peace-hippie definition. It _isn't me._"

"OK, so let's move on," Ezra interrupted before the fight, that we had been through so much before, continued, "The one who survived?"

"We all have survived a shitload," Richard laughed, "I think that one's pretty much impossible to figure out."

"Who's survived the most, though?" I snapped.

"We've heard your theory," Ezra sighed, "But he has nothing to do with this war, and you know it."

"Two direct killing curses and two aimed and amazingly deflected with expelliarmus!" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air.

"And he lives in the UK, which we all know is cut off, and he doesn't even _have_ a dragon or _hand magic_, there are better candidates on this side of the pond," Ezra tried to sooth and failed.

"And he's better known as the Boy who Lived," Kylie interjected.

"Yeah, the One who Survived is pretty damn close to that," I snapped.

"So why not call him the Boy who Lived?" Ezra snapped in response. It was a play, a dialogue, that we had all gone through many times and memorized well.

"I don't know! To make it harder!" I sighed, raising my arms in the air.

"Well, we have no other direct ideas," Kylie finally sighed, "Onto the last one…"

"This one just doesn't make any sense," I rolled my eyes, "I can't think of any 'Chosen One' besides Harry Potter, and none of you can argue with that."

"No, we can't," Kylie agreed cautiously.

"But he has no living relatives beyond his muggle cousins, and I really don't think that they'd be finishing this war- they're even more far-fetched than Harry himself," I finished, rolling my eyes, "So this clue is just… stupid."

"And, whoever it is, chose the one not chosen. That is just confusing. Doesn't _choosing_ someone make them_ chosen_?" Richard groaned.

"Was there ever anyone else who could have been in Harry's shoes?" Ezra asked, "Since that's our only lead on the subject."

"Not that I know of," I sighed, "But I really don't know much about the whole chosen-one deal."

"There _has_ to be another chosen one!" Kylie threw up her arms, "There just _has_ to be! It's like you say, Maggie. Harry _has no wizarding relatives alive_. Unless we were to wait more than a decade for one of his kids to be born and to become a full-fledged wizard…"

"Which can't be, I refuse to believe it," I agreed.

I sighed, tired of the argument, and pulled out my photo album, flipping through the pictures. Besides all the ones of me and my friends in the UK, I had added many of my family: my dad and my mum, me and my sister, all of us. My mum, Dumbledore, and Snape were in there too, the first picture after the ones from the UK. On the left side was Harry, Ron, and Hermione, laughing together, that golden trio. On the right, there was my mum, Snape, and Dumbles. My mum's green eyes were clear from this distance. It had always struck me how bright they were. The only comparable eyes I had seen were, obviously, on my son, and my sister.

I used to have those eyes…

I continued to flip, finding a picture of my two kids as babies, and kissed it. I missed them so much it hurt in my chest cavity.

We continued on walking, the heat of summer now getting to us as we reached Ohio and Indiana, trailing the northern side of the Appalachian mountains. June transformed into July and I often thought nostalgically of where I had been, who I had been with, during these summer months three years ago. It had been colder in the UK, but for some reason, my memories of the time were hot.

As we camped out at Deadmans Island on the border between Indiana and Kentucky, I found myself typically excited by the appearance of a brown owl on the horizon. I reached out for Darwin and lovingly patted his feathers and gave him a treat as he hooted happily. I opened up Neville's letter (not his first, but still, always causing that same happy reaction as the first) and felt like I was glued to its pages.

_Dearest Maggie, Margaret, Marguerite, Mags, the-love-of-my-life, the light in my eyes, my angel, _

(I laughed loudly. We had been spending the intro of each letter in a competition for the most number of affectionate names/cutesy-one-ups.)

_I've been one of the most boring people on the planet since you last wrote. While you've been walking through Ohio and Indiana and living it up, I've been… getting ready to teach at Hogwarts… Excuse me. I have to make a face of slight disgust. _

_I'm kidding, you know I've wanted to do this since we were kids… except we were never really kids together, were we? We both grew up that year. So since we were young. That still counts, right? Even if we were old souls? Whatever! Since that summer. You know what I'm talking about! **You** always know. _

_Sorry, nostalgic, just… ignore the tear spot there… yeah… and that one… aww crap. _

(I ran my finger along the spot and the smudge in the ink and fought back my own tears.)

_Anywho, so I'm making lesson plans (Pomona's helped out a bit,) and I've been writing up Gryffindor Common Room passwords. It's really funny for me and Seamus and Dean, since I was always the one forgetting them! I have to keep them written and somewhere safe so that I remember these ones. Sigh. I haven't really changed all that much, have I?_

_I am really glad to have free reign over the Hogwarts Greenhouses though! I've been waiting for that since I was a kid. I'll be able to experiment still while teaching kids why plants are actually bloody brilliant. _

_I'm trying to use the plants as a distraction. Your dad gave me that advice. I need a distraction. You have fighting and dragons and danger and all that stuff that I try to pretend isn't going on so that I am able to eat food. _

_I? I have plants._

_It actually isn't that bad of a lot, though. For me. You know. _

_Sigh… One moment…_

(I was upset to find more tear drop stains.)

_Everyone says hi. Seamus is doing loads better, now that he isn't seeing your face all the time. He and Parvati are going out, though her dad isn't too happy about the idea and is hoping they'll break up. Dean's started with Lavender, which has made things very, very awkward. Harry and Ginny are getting married in a week and wish you were here. Hermione and Ron are waiting a bit longer but you know it's only a matter of time haha. _

_Apparently, George had a terrible episode the other day. He found this thing- Harry and Ron know about it- called the Mirror of Erised. He's apparently found it before with Fred. When they looked at themselves in it, they just saw themselves. Well, what the mirror does is show you your deepest desire (I have a funny feeling I'd see you, with me.) But when George found it again, he saw what he saw before… him, and Fred. _

_He apparently broke down sobbing and was a mess for days and days, which is really depressing, because you saw him after Fred died- it took a lot for him to be OK again, and now it's like the clocks' been rewound. Apparently Angelina Johnson has been over at his and Ron's flat a lot to take care of him. Ron's really grateful for that. _

_Beyond that, things are still the same here. Kingsley's still fighting with the Wizengamot but they are currently going through some House-Elf rights cases. On the one hand, I'm rooting for these, because they're Hermione's baby. On the other hand, couldn't it wait a bit? I'm being selfish, I know. _

_Hermione is going to send you some of her thoughts and cases and her successes because she knows how much it interests you. Also, Ginny is sending along pictures from the wedding. This is something she's holding over my head, as "if I look too thin in these pictures she'll be upset. So EAT." So I'm eating. _

_Just kidding… I swear I'd eat anyway hun. _

_How are things going? The traveling? I hope you get there soon. You're out in the open and that scares me. Everything about this scares me. I have nightmares I just… I don't want to hear that you're dead. I don't want to hear that. I'd rather just know instinctually and die naturally I… I can't hear those words. _

(More tear spots and I couldn't contain my reaction to them.)

_I love you. More than words can express. _

_Neville (Ahem. Snugglebear? Really?) _

I laughed a little and grabbed a quill and ink to start writing as the group continued to walk, perched in front of my dad on Thailus' back as he trudged on.

_Dearest Neville, Nev, Nevvie, Snugglebear (Yes, Snugglebear, you're cuddly god dammit,) the beat of my heart, the electric pulses between my nerve cells, the…_

I sighed, at a loss for something else cutesy to say.

_The face of my dreams,_

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know it's a week until then when I'm writing this but I also know it'll probably take that long for my owl to get to you. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! For this month, and this month only, we are the same age, a young and spry twenty-one. We can now both drink in this country by muggle law. Sweet. HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I would be there to give you many different forms of present, both tangible and not, but I can't. So I say it again! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Your gift? Attached is something very silly, but I hope you enjoy it. Hee hee. _

(I had given him a huge stuffed dragon animal, like I had given the kids, that was cuddlier beyond words.)

I went on to comment on all the points of his letter and interject with my own news, managing to stop myself from crying onto the parchment when I conveyed just how much I missed him. I sent the letter off with Darwin, watching mournfully as the bird took off into the air.

"I'm proud of you again, Maggie," my father commented behind me. I turned around to look at him in confusion.

"What have I done now?" I asked curiously.

"You're both really working hard on this long-distance relationship. I _know_ you have nothing to worry about if you don't, but that's why it's remarkable… you could not talk to each other until you reunite and still be just as in love with each other," my father explained.

"Yeah, and become chronically depressed," I rolled my eyes.

"That could increase your chances of being let back home," he laughed.

"Dad…" I gasped, amazed. He looked weary.

"Don't think that will actually work, I was just joking…"

"I know," I sighed, "But… you called the UK my home…" I whispered.

He smiled slightly, "You know it is, honey. I know it is. I've accepted it."

I threw my arms around him and hugged him, "Thanks dad. For everything. For being there, for taking care of the kids, for putting up with me."

"You're welcome," he smiled, "I mean it about being proud of you two."

I smiled again, "Nothing you and mom didn't do."

He frowned again. I looked at him in puzzlement.

"Your mother… Was not the best at communication while she was away, sometimes," my father sighed, "Sometimes, she would barely write or floo. Not every trip. And sometimes, she would be away for longer than she had to."

"You're kidding," I whispered in shock.

"Yes. She was in Britain the first time, with Dumbledore and Snape, for almost a whole year- sixth months longer than she was supposed to be there, or what was safe for her to be there I'd say. And she stayed in France for two years when she was supposed to be there for two months! And she barely wrote," my father sounded bitter, "I'm sorry. Sometimes… Sometimes I still get upset."

"You don't think she was unfaithful?" I asked breathlessly, hoping Elena wasn't in earshot (she was over playing Exploding Snape with Kylie on Amityh's back.)

"Sometimes… Sometimes I think she was. Actually, just in one instance," my father sighed, "But she came home. She chose me. That's the important thing."

I wanted to ask who he thought she had an affair with- I remembered how close she had been to the French politician Dubois- but I thought it best not to ask.

We continued on, walking and walking and walking, as the months transformed. It was late August by the time we reached New Mexico, and it was still blazing hot down in the desert. We made more rest stops and walked much slower as the heat and the distance got to us. I hadn't seen my children in ages, but Miss Olson assured they were fine. We hadn't been ambushed, either, and so we were all on edge. We knew it was a matter of time before they found us.

Neville and I kept regular correspondence, but the strain of not having seen his face in so many months was killing me. I would constantly take out his picture and kiss it, and kiss the ring, as if I were somehow kissing him by doing so.

As we made camp in the middle of the blazing New Mexico desert, my father was exhausted and weak and sickly. Elena and I both worked hard to keep him healthy, but we were terrified. He hadn't been a young man in a very long time.

A question had been burning in my mind for weeks, ever since we talked about mum overseas. A question that had, indeed, burned in my mind for years, ever since I had been in Britain.

Every time I thought about how lucky I was to have survived that year, I thought, _why was I so lucky_? Snape. Snape was why I had been so lucky. Because my mum trusted him and talked about him, he trusted me, and invited me into his confidence, so he could protect me. Snape.

Why did my mother trust Snape?

I wouldn't be alive if she hadn't, but even _Harry_ wasn't saying why Snape was good, and he knew.

And I wanted to know. I wanted to know why I was lucky enough to have survived and to have gotten to be with Neville for the short time that I did.

So, as my father rested and the hot sun set over the sandy land, I sat next to him with my heart pounding against my ribcage.

"Dad? Can I ask you a question?" I asked timidly.

"Anything," he nodded, chugging water.

"Um… Why did mom trust Snape?" I whispered.

He almost choked on the water and Elena hit him on the back to steady him, glaring at me from the corner of her eye.

"Your mother," he paused, "Was very, very unclear on that subject, and for good reason- times over there were tense, as you have finally told us."

On this long journey, I had finally managed to tell them what had happened to me, and their understanding of my attachment to my friends there grew even greater.

"But, did she say _anything_?" I asked desperately.

"All she said," my father sighed, "Was that Snape grew to trust her deeply before she trusted him, trust her so deeply as to tell her his greatest, most guarded secret. A secret that only Dumbledore knew."

"Wow," I whispered, "Did… Did she say _why_ Snape trusted her?"

"Partly because of her nature… your mother was one of the most kind and understanding individuals I've ever met," my father smiled slightly in memory, "And partly… because of her family, and her resemblance to it."

"Her _family_? Her _familial resemblance_?" both Elena and I gasped.

"Yes. She couldn't tell me much more than that her family was a major contributing factor," my father shrugged.

"Did she hint at what part of the family?" I laughed and Elena nodded.

"Well, as you know, her father was a man by the name of Roger Dickens. And, she told me directly, her father's sister was very important," my father sighed, "Your Great-Aunt's name was Samantha Dickens, and she also got married. All muggles, of course."

"Who'd she marry?" Elena asked breathlessly.

"Who'd she resemble?" I furthered.

"Her father was very, very similar to her aunt- they all had the dark red hair and those distinctive green eyes, same as their parents. Apparently, your great-aunt passed those traits on to one of their children, though I don't know their names," my father looked weary, "But your mother said that was very important."

"Who'd she marry?" Elena and I repeated, "D'you know the last name?"

"A man by the name of Joshua Evans," my father answered, "Again, I don't know their kids, but it was all very confusing when your mother tried to explain it evasively."

Evans, Evans… I had heard that before, but then again, I had been in the UK for a while and there could have been someone at Hogwarts with the name Evans.

"I'm sorry I don't know more," my father sighed, "But, that's all I do know. You'll probably be able to trace the family tree when you go back, Maggie."

"Yeah… I will," I smiled, "What else do you know about mom?"

"Well, she was an only child, so you have no first cousins, though from what I've said, clearly you do have second cousins because I believe the children of Samantha had children themselves. Not sure who, though, that all got somewhat lost, even for your mom… You have second cousins on her mother's side, too, the…" but dad was cut off from another revelation (one that I would have recognized more easily, in retrospect.)

Roars filled the early evening sky and we all looked around in shock to see a giant group of dragons and riders charging at us.

Thailus ran forward at them, among whom Oscuro was not a part, making him the largest dragon present. He roared as the rest of us chaotically tried to collect everyone and make everyone safe, grabbing wrists of family members and screaming as curses filled the air.

A man with long blonde hair ran forward and I was shocked- It was Tom, the boy from the beach in Baja, except he no longer looked like a boy, and was more unkempt than he had been before. He raised up his palm and his wand and suddenly the sand around us rose up in a huge wave of sand, taller than Thailus, taller than a skyscraper. Pill's sisters started screaming and Huelito grabbed them and his parents, flying off in the night sky. Richard's brother and parents started to fight but my father was in no condition to do so.

The wave of sand crashed around us and I found myself swept off of my feet, tossing and turning in the sand and screaming. Elena's screams filled my ears and I turned to see her grabbing at my father, who was unable to fight the onslaught of sand.

"NO!" I screamed, reaching towards him, Elena still screaming at a nonstop pitch and volume as she held his hand. I was helpless, watching, fighting to get at him through the sand, as he disappeared beneath the grains and Elena was forced to let go.

"NO!" we both screamed, sobbing, "NO, DAD, NO!"

I continued to fight, going in the opposite direction of the actual Unionists, trying to reach my dad, because he couldn't be dead, he had to still be alive, he couldn't be gone too…

Someone shouted something and I spun around in amazement as a flash of green light just missed me. Tom was facing me, his face livid with hatred.

"STUPEFY!" Richard came out of nowhere, cursing him and blasting energy at him, but Tom was ready, and the two dueled it out spectacularly as I looked around in the chaos and the gritty sand wildly for my sister, unable to lose her too.

"ELENA!" I screamed, tears pouring out of my eyes, useless in the battle itself.

I found her, fighting against Elphias, her eyes flowing with tears. I ran forward and cursed him, my hands shaking, as I helped to protect my young sister.

More screams let out, this time from Leslie. Elena and I spun around to see her screaming over the fallen body of Pill, blood pouring from a wound on his forehead.

"NO!" I screamed, as did Kylie. Leslie was screaming at a high-pitched voice and I knew how close they had been to mating, how they had done everything but, how…

"Oh my God," Richard next to me whispered, blood on his own face and neck, as he fought Tom, "Huelito… Huelito was carrying his family…"

I felt my hand cover my mouth as I realized this, and Najhi took off into the air to go and find them.

I continued to fight Elphias, but suddenly out of nowhere a huge black dragon came flying in- Oscuro. Kylie started to scream and I watched in horror as Oscuro bit off Richard's brother's head, blood splattering everywhere. Thailus dived and crashed into him, forcing him away from the main group, their claws flashing and their roars filling the air. Elena next to me was shaking madly. Richard was now screaming at his brother, shouting, "JOHN! JOHN! NO, JOHN, NO!"

At that moment, Tom threw out a curse and a wave of energy, and Richard's parents both crumpled to the ground. Richard screamed even louder and I tried to calm him down, protecting us with a protego charm, shaking him.

"RICHARD! RICHARD! RICHARD, YOU CAN'T STOP FIGHTING, YOU HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTING! RICHARD!" I screamed.

In that moment, a lot of things happened.

Oscuro and Thailus flew back over and sent a shower of sand over us, blinding our vision and burying Richard's family.

Jethro ran forward and grabbed Elena, dragging her away from us, with a knife to her throat.

Najhi came back with Pill's family, all OK, but sobbing, and was attacked at the side by a large sliver dragon- Elphias'.

I shot a huge blast of energy and Elphias was shot backwards, but I realized Elena's predicament and started screaming louder, running forward at Jethro.

And, finally, Leslie was only just saved from the rush of sand by Kylie, both almost killed by a curse from Tom.

I screamed and ran at Jethro, shouting for Elena as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"GIVE HER BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY SISTER! GIVE HER BACK!" I screamed, oblivious to the fact that Elphias had died, his dragon had collapsed, and Najhi was able to save Pill's family.

Jethro held the knife up to Elena's throat and I felt like Neville must have, when Alecto had once had me in a similar position.

"GRED, TOM, NIA, AMY, WE'RE LEAVING!" Jethro shouted, and Oscuro plucked him and my sister out of the air. Thailus chased after them as I screamed at the top of my lungs, shooting useless curses at the black monster.

Thailus had disappeared over the horizon as I continued to scream, Kylie and Richard and Leslie and Ezra trying to calm me down, tears flowing down their own faces, as I pulled at my hair and felt my entire self fall apart. And when Thailus returned without Elena, I fell to the ground and screamed until I lost my voice.

AN: Ah, intense chapters. Yes, I know many of you are figuring out the whole prophecy thing now, but Maggie doesn't figure it out until Part 3, so you're all going to have to wait for it to be fully/properly explained. Sorries!

Thank you Sexii-chan, Royal shadow1, Bubbles of Ebil, and IloveNerds543. I will respond to your reviews soon.

Let's try for five for the next chapter, shall we? Though if I just get four I'll probably post again; I want to get as much of this dang thing done before I start school. But five would be nice. Four for an update.

Plus, it gets REALLY INTERESTING very soon. Haha. I'm really evil.

REVIEW!


	29. Ch 10: Captured

Ch. 10: Captured

_Yeah I get it, you're an outcast_

_Always under attack, Always comin' in last_

_Bringin up the back_

_No one owes you anything, I think _

_You need a shotgun blast, a kick in the ass_

_So paranoid, Watch your back! _

_~Sound of Madness by Shinedown_

From May 2001 until May 2004, we shepherded families. They didn't all end that disastrously, but at the same time, we went slower, more chaotic, more meandering. We didn't want to lose anyone else.

My father's body was never recovered, so when I came back home from the first trip (six months away from home, six months spent at home,) I held an empty-casket funeral.

That sixth month pattern actually continued for all the trips- we spent the months from late May until late November transporting families, and then from early December to early May resting up at home, so I was actually home a lot for my children.

We made, in total then, three trips, one for each group of our families. Because of the losses we had sustained, we were exempt from helping anyone else escape, and were soon goingn to go on the front lines to fight Unionists.

I hated America. I hated every bit of that path we had traversed three times, especially the New Mexican Desert. Neville understood completely.

Elena wasn't heard from, nor did I know if she was alive. I spent my worrying hours praying or, if I was really desperate, throwing useless floo powder into the fireplace and watching the flames turning green and then going out, hoping they'd stay green for just long enough for me to call Neville.

The children grew and grew and became mini people. Where they each were the spitting image of one of their parents, their personalities were the reverse. Alice, while looking like a female Neville with her hair color, eyes, and round face, acted _exactly_ like me. When she had learned enough words to argue, I would find myself arguing with her constantly over things I'd ask her to do, from cleaning her room to using the potty correctly to going easy on Miss Olson.

Conversely, Nate looked exactly like me- oval face, same hair color, and the same green eyes I used to have, but he acted _exactly_ like Neville. He'd constantly forget things, but was extraordinarily loveable at the same time, always there for Alice when she would fall or hurt herself. He was very cautious, but also brave- when Alice was going to sneak off and try and run away from home because she was 'sick of it,' he stood up to her even though she managed to, accidentally, put him into a magical and impenetrable blue bubble, stalling her long enough to alert Miss Olson.

Unfortunately, his hatred of flying was more my fault than a fault of his father's genes.

Thailus was just playing around with the kids, as usual, while we were home for a break. Miss Olson was working in her room and I was watching the kids to make sure no one got hurt. Alice, who was clearly a natural, was riding atop Thailus as he left the ground for a few seconds just to land again. Nate held onto Alice for dear life, but didn't look as scared as he might have been.

Thailus took off a few feet into the air, and I laughed at the look of glee on Alice's face. As Thailus came back down to land, he was distracted by Alice shrieking in protest, and didn't land as smoothly as he normally did with the kids. The rocky landing caused Nate to lose his balance and he fell off, face-down on the grass. I ran forward, screaming my head off, as Alice began to scream from atop Thailus' back.

I picked up the four-year-old boy and breathed a sigh of relief to find that he was fine, sobbing hysterically but fine. Unfortunately, he never wanted to get on a broomstick, or a dragon, again after that.

I constantly wrote Neville, and he me, but at the same time, the distance between the last time I had seen his face was lengthening and I could feel the depression start to set in, and rather rapidly at that. When I wasn't around my kids or distracted in a battle, I would often find myself staring out into space, my eyes gone, my heart dead, unwilling to do anything and not wanting to do anything productive of any kind. Miss Olson would often have to come over, shake me, and snap her fingers in front of my face to get me to react when I was in the worst of these moods.

I did what was recommended to fight it- I read books, I took to writing books, I painted, I absorbed myself in my children and my work. But there was still that persistent ache in the back of my heart that threatened to overtake me. It didn't help that Elena was missing and my parents were dead.

There were heavy rumors that the Unionists were currently basing very near my old home, in Maine, near the coast. Our team had faced every single Unionist, save Elisha, and survived almost intact- something that no other team, or what remained of a team, could claim. Hence, we were sent, though all exhausted and sick of fighting, sick of war, just wanting to sleep.

We crept along, silent, the five of us just moving and hoping to not be seen or noticed. I thought of my twins, and how they had no idea that this time, when mummy left, it was a bit more dangerous than usual. I laughed slightly in my head at their usual fighting match over who would get to kiss mummy goodbye first. Nate relented, as usual, but gave me a really sloppy one to make up for it.

Five year olds…

I thought glumly of how, long ago, I thought that by the time they were three they would know their father, and he them.

We crept along the rocky, freezing shores of Maine, chills running through us and waves crashing against the rocks. My wand was out and my eyes narrowed. Ezra was reciting a Native American (Navajo) prayer under his breath, his locket clasped between his hands. Kylie was leading the group, her head held high, Richard and Leslie following closely.

We stopped when we heard a roar and all peeked over the rocky edges, amazed at what we saw.

The experiments of Unionists were rumored to be done in huge, cult-like group gatherings, but none had ever been seen before by an official UDRA representative. They were very good at hiding, only leaving behind the monsters they created in corpse form. Wherever these bodies lay, they would be in the middle of what looked like a large ring of burnt foliage or ground cover- a ring that had presumably been on fire.

And there it was- the ring of fire.

Dragons stood along the outer edge of the ring while their respective riders stood on the inside. I felt my insides freeze up with hatred at the sight of the largest black dragon in recorded history- Oscuro- and looked down to see Jethro there, leading the experiment, adding ingredients to the cauldron in the middle of the circle. Next to the cauldron was a dragon, tethered up and screaming at the top of his lungs, a delicate shade of pink and a four-legged, but small. His human, a fifteen year old skinny boy with brown hair, seemed to have passed out in shock, though was also chained up tightly.

The Unionists around the circle were humming in a strange sort of harmony with their dragons and the effect was eerie, other-worldly. Chills went through my spine at the sound. It was a mixture between old Celtic, Wiccan, and Native American chants, along with some sort of sound that reminded me of blazing flames and the rush of the wind. I swallowed and held out my wand, terrified to move when we were so outnumbered.

"WE SHALL NOW SEE!" Jethro screamed, his voice almost containing that otherworldly song, "WE SHALL NOW SEE IF OUR LATEST THEORIES WILL COME TO FRUITION! WE SHALL NOW SEE IF WE ARE CLOSER TO OUR SPECIES' ULTIMATE DESTINY!"

The song stopped and the dragons and humans roared in unison, screaming their approval in the same sort of growls and roars of beasts. Jethro levitated the cauldron with his wand and unchained the boy, dragging his body over to the dragon, who's screams became higher pitched and more earnest.

Jethro tipped over the cauldron, and we all realized that he was going to pour it directly over them. We moved as one unit, the dragons taking off into the air and attacking the dragons on the ground, Thailus going directly for Oscuro. Jethro was shocked and the potion was dropped away from the victims, sizzling and burning a hole into the ground. I ran forward screaming, my eyes only for the bastard, shooting quick stunners at anyone who got in my way.

The chaos continued as my team fought valiantly, the Unionists almost crumpling too easily, the dragons easily fought against one on two or three. Perhaps it was due to the nature of their ceremony, or that they had let their guard down or taken in some sort of potion that dulled the horror of what they were about to witness. Jethro, however, had not let his guard down, and it was all I could do to duel him. Curses flew through the air, and I let some of my inherent despair escape its prison in my heart to allow me to be ruthless, to have nothing left to live for, to be reckless. He seemed shocked, his eyes wide, as he parried each of my quickly flung curses and barely had time to interject his own.

"THIS!" I shouted as I shot a stunner that barely missed and Thailus, screaming, pinned Oscuro against the rocks as the waves crashed against them.

"IS!" I continued, slashing at his legs with Sectumsempra and almost sending him to the ground, but he kept fighting despite the blood, biting his lip to contain a scream of pain as I drew closer to him. Oscuro and Thailus were now thrashing about in the water, the weakness of the dragon, but Thailus was advantaged in being smaller and was steadily driving him back and weaker, into deeper water.

"FOR!" I screamed, clawing at him with Sectumsempra, driving more and more cuts into him that only some of which he was able to block. Oscuro had left the water but was injured gravely and limping, his wing broken, and Thailus dove at him from the air like a bird of prey, diving and attacking again and again and again, relentless despite Oscuro now screaming.

"MY!" my rage bled through my spells and now Jethro was on the ground, clutching at himself, unable to fight any more. I didn't even recognize the fact that I had brought down the one Unionist no one had survived alone, the Unionist that was notorious for killing a single attacker, escaping from two or three, and never captured. Oscuro had collapsed and Thailus was roaring in triumph.

"SISTER!" I finished with a stunner and Jethro collapsed. I stood over him, my wand and palm out, breathing heavily and my chest heaving. Thailus continued to roar and those few Unionists who managed to get away flew quickly into the horizon, the rest of them being rounded up and tied up by my team as the victims were awoken and calmed down.

When my elation at having got the bastard finally ebbed away, I stared at him in shock. He was a mess, a wreck, a bloody pulp.

"The UDRA wants him alive, Maggie, let's get him back to headquarters!" Richard ran over and looked at him in disgust and me in awe.

"OK," I whispered, "I'll apparate him there, um…"

"I'll carry Oscuro," Thailus responded gruffly, "We'll be there in two days."

"We'll all help carry him so he doesn't get away," Kylie asserted, "Good luck Maggie."

I nodded and grabbed Jethro's bloodied wrist with mild disgust, pulling him up and clumsily apparating to headquarters, directly into Dr. Tennys' office.

There was apparently a meeting going on, and everyone started screaming at the appearance of the most wanted _man_ (Elisha took that title for women) in the country. Dr. Tennys ran forward and conjured chains, not unlike those that had bound the victims, out of thin air, binding them around his person.

"How?" he asked simply, looking at me covered in blood and him bleeding in amazement.

"I'll tell you when you get him to some sort of hospital, he needs to be looked after if we're going to question him," I muttered, my mind somewhat blank.

Dr. Tennys nodded and Jethro was rushed out of there and Dr. Tennys' entourage followed. I collapsed into a chair and held my face in my hands, waves of shock rolling over me.

A week later, I was back home, playing a game of High-Ho Cherrio with my kids, laughing at their using magic to sneak cherries into their buckets and scolding them for cheering. There was no doubt, they were a witch and a wizard, and powerful ones at that (though, with my being a dragon rider, it was hard to imagine that they wouldn't have been, with that much extra magical power being passed on.)

"Maggie," Miss Olson rolled into the room and I looked up in mild alarm, "Urgent message from Dr. Tennys."

"About?" I asked gruffly, standing up and wringing my hands as the kids watched in curiosity.

"Jethro," she answered gravely. I felt my heart leap up into my throat. Did he say something about Elena?

"You'd better get to headquarters, I'll watch them," she nodded to the twins and I ran out of the house, apparating on the spot and into Dr. Tennys' office once again.

Dr. Tennys was alone in there, though from his face I could tell he was stressed and scared.

"Hello Maggie," he nodded, his eyes closed, "Thank you again."

"For capturing Jethro?" I asked needlessly.

He nodded again and whispered, "We thought it couldn't be done."

"Well," I paused, "When someone steals your sister…"

"He's said nothing about that," Dr. Tennys sighed, "When we used Veritaserum he just shrugged when we asked. He might not know where she is, it's been a few years."

I hung my head and threw my hands over my eyes. I needed to _know_.

"I'm afraid you're not going to like why I've called you here, and trust me, I wish there was a better, easier, fairer way, especially after everything the UDRA's put you through," Dr. Tennys had such pity and apology in his voice I looked up at him in shock.

"What?" I asked wearily.

"Jethro is very, very dangerous. When we left him alone in the very heavily guarded hospital wing overnight he almost escaped. Fort Phoenix isn't going to be able to hold him…" Dr. Tennys paused.

"You _don't mean…_"

"We need you to be his permanent guard, twenty-four seven, while he is on house arrest at your house."

"AB. SO. LUTE. LY. NOT," I shouted, screaming at him, "I'D KILL THE BASTARD FIRST! HE TOOK MY SISTER! MY CHILDREN ARE IN THAT HOUSE AND HE WOULD HAVE TO KNOW THEY EXIST! MY CHILDREN WILL BE PUT AT RISK!"

"You're the ONLY person in the ENTIRE UDRA who can handle him!" Dr. Tenny shouted, "We have half of our guard watching him right now and we can't afford that many fighters! Jethro isn't the only terrible Unionist!"

"MY CHILDREN!" I screamed again, "HE WOULD BE IN THE SAME HOUSE AS MY CHILDREN!"

"IT HAS TO BE YOU!" Dr. Tennys screamed. We faced each other, our chests heaving, my face furious and his apologetic still.

"Will you sneak me into the UK if I do this? Will you do everything in your power, illegal and legal, to get me over there when you feel I no longer have to watch him?" I snapped angrily.

He looked weary, "As long as you don't, say, let him go."

"Why would I do that? HE'LL HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT MY CHILDREN!" I screamed again.

"Fine, then, fine. When we have the means and facilities to watch him, when the war is calming down slightly, or if he dies or becomes weak and can be watched in the usual means, I will get you and your children over to the UK," Dr. Tennys looked sincerely sorry, "I. Promise."

I nodded, "Where is the mother f***er?"

"In the Hospital Ward," he nodded and we walked over there, my arms over my chest.

"He does not have a wand, but as you know, he still has his hand," Dr. Tennys' eyes narrowed, "I suggested we cut it off, but…"

I rolled my eyes and shrugged as we entered the ward. There were a million guards standing around a hospital bed, and they parted slightly to let Dr. Tennys and me through. Dr. Tennys handed me a piece of paper as I glowered down at Jethro.

He was young, something that I had never noticed before- he had to be around my age. His hair was matted and shaggy, hanging all over his scarred face. I looked at the scars with a sense of self-satisfaction, knowing my hand had given many of them. His eyes were dark black to match his dragon. He had very pale skin, but with pink undertones, making him look healthy rather than that he hadn't seen much sun. His arms were folded across his chest.

I looked down at the piece of paper and read wearily, _The home of Maggie Johnson is located at 1507 17th Street, Washington, D.C. She has two children, Alice and Nate Longbottom._

I scowled, feeling my fists clench, and nodded at him.

"What?" Jethro asked in his deep, gravelly voice.

"You will be under house arrest at the residency of Rider Johnson," Dr. Tennys inclined his head towards me, his face filled with loathing, "Until further notice."

"Don't think anyone else can hold me?" he smirked, his eyes sparkling with mirth that was shockingly different than his usual manner.

"There is no need to be difficult. We are personally escorting you there," Dr. Tennys nodded at me to lead the way. The guards enclosed Jethro as we walked out of the UDRA headquarters, Dr. Tennys walking alongside me. We weaved through the streets, muggles passing by and apparently not noticing the six muscular dragon riders inclosing one, rather scrawny in comparison, man.

We finally reached my home, which was squished into nonexistence by numbers 1506 and 1508. The guards all took a step back, probably ordered to not read the paper, as I handed it begrudgingly to Jethro.

He read it, his eyebrows flying into his hairline, and when I was sure he had read it I snatched the paper back from him and tore it up into little pieces, sticking the pieces into my pocket. The house came into being when Jethro looked up again, and I stepped inside it without looking at either of the men.

Miss Olson must have known what was going to happen, as she and the children were nowhere to be found. I stood in the middle of the kitchen and glared at Jethro.

"There is a room upstairs next to mine," I snapped, hatred filling me like a black thing, "Where you will be staying. It will be locked. I will remove the window. I will implement ways of watching you and hearing you twenty-four seven. I will bring you a meal three times a day. You will be allowed to leave the room to use the bathroom when you ask me and under my indirect supervision. No funny business. No talking to my children. Understand?" I growled.

He shrugged, with that arrogant smirk still on his face. I nodded to Dr. Tennys and he left as I led Jethro up to the room, entering and waving my wand so that the window disappeared, Jethro in front of me at all times. I waved my wand again and connected the room's audio to my room, and then conjured up a mirror that connected to his room so I could see inside of it, exhausted from the magical effort. Finally, I waved my wand once more so that magic would be unable to be done in the room.

I turned to him, my eyes narrowing, and hissed, "Good luck getting out of that."

He continued to smirk as I left the room, slamming the door and locking it. At the same time, Thailus was watching Oscuro, Emralda and the children off in Canada.

I sighed and ran to my children, who were in Miss Olson's room and reading. Miss Olson looked at me apologetically.

"OK kids," I sighed as I knelt in front of them and they looked up at me, "I'm not going to be leaving home for a long while."

"YAY!" both cheered, large grins appearing on their faces. I smiled slightly in spite of myself.

"But you two are _not allowed_ to go up to the room next to mummy's, alright?" I explained quietly, "There is a very, very dangerous man in there."

"Why is he there, mummy?" Alice asked angrily, "Why is the danger here?"

"Because I'm the only person who can contain him, apparently," I sighed, "I'm sorry."

Alice harrumphed and went back to her book. Nate continued to watch me curiously.

"Why are you the only person who can watch him, mummy?" he asked quietly.

"Because he is very, very powerful, and I'm the only person who's managed to survive him," I smiled slightly, "Don't worry. It'll be OK."

I stood up and went to get the mirror, looking to see him in there, lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling. It was dark; he hadn't bothered to turn on the light. I nodded in satisfaction and took the mirror with me downstairs as I sat down to read a book.

Months and months went by in which neither of us spoke a word to one another. My children did not interact with him, Miss Olson only made brief contact, and I didn't even look at him when I brought him food or took him to the bathroom. In the interim, I managed to spend quality, uninhibited time with Alice and Nate, and often found myself writing lengthy letters to Neville in which I barely hid anything about my life from him (unlike usual, when I didn't touch on the amount of battles and crap I had to deal with.) He knew Jethro was on house arrest and wasn't happy about it, but after a few months in which I (and the kids, but he didn't know about them) wasn't hurt at all he became more easy with it.

This state of relative peace couldn't last forever, however, and one afternoon when I came in to bring him lunch he finally opened his mouth, his voice hoarse from disuse.

"Aren't you _ever_ going to ask me?" he asked, almost in a cheerful voice.

I looked up and stared at him, "What?"

"Where your sister is," his face was still smirking and I wanted to wipe it off his face.

"You bastard," I hissed, "You cruel, merciless bastard."

He was still smirking and I was fighting a real urge to punch him in the face.

"How _dare_ **you** bring up my sister to _me_!" I screamed, "HOW DARE YOU!"

He continued to smirk as I fumed at him, my hands clenched into fists.

"Well? Don't you want to _know_?" he laughed.

A war was going on in my chest cavity. On the one hand, I wanted to know almost as much as I wanted to go home to the UK. On the other, I didn't want to give him that satisfaction, or make him think he had any power over me. The first won out.

"Where the f*** is she?" I hissed.

"I honestly," he grinned cruelly, "Have no idea."

I ran forward and punched him in the face, him flying backward into the bed and clutching his bleeding nose. He grabbed the tissues from the nightstand next to him and I watched him, my chest heaving, my veins on fire with fury.

"I'm serioub," he laughed through the bleeding, "I hab no idea."

"WHY NOT?" I screamed.

"After a few months," he started, looking amused as he stemmed the bleeding, "We went to go an' torture her, and she wasn't in her cell."

"WHAT?" I screamed again.

"She had escabed," he blubbered, looking down at the bloody tissue in disgust, "The bars of her bell were broken and she must hab jumped out."

I watched him in amazement, "And you haven't heard from her since? Seen her since?"

"No," he shook his head, the bleeding finally starting to calm down, "She could be anywhere but in the US, we'd know if she were in this country."

I fumed at him for a moment, but a sense of hope had filled me. She could still be alive, and somewhere safe.

"Granted, we took away her wand, so she's limited," Jethro added with a small pause, "it's not like she has it easy."

The hope didn't even leave; Elena was a beast at hand magic and I wasn't worried about it. She had broken out of her prison using a very small amount of it, after all.

"She was a strong one, though," Jethro paused, "I never had to deal with her much, but apparently she resisted every form of torture they threw at her."

"She's _my_ sister," I hissed, "We share the same genes. Of course she resisted."

Jethro laughed again, a laugh that made me want to punch his nose again and make him bleed even more.

"Really, though, we should have guessed that, you're right," Jethro was smirking, "You survived a shitload in the UK."

I glared at him, "How. Do. You. Know. That."

"Really, you should have guessed," Jethro laughed, "You are the most researched person on our side. We've been trying to figure everything out about you, to better fight you. You're probably as feared as I am," he was laughing, "We know about your childhood, your school years, your year in Britain, you time in the UDRA. It's really, really effing surprising we had no idea about your kids."

I fumed at him, "You _researched me?_"

"Quite a bit," Jethro chuckled, "I wasn't too involved in the actual research but of course Elisha made me read up on it so I could fight you. Ironically, that was right before you actually defeated me."

"Yeah, cause you _stole my bleeding sister!_" I screamed.

He continued to laugh, mirthlessly, "You shouldn't let harm upon your family get to you so easily. It makes you vulnerable."

I screamed at him in rage and tried to contain another punch, "LIKE YOU KNOW! LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT FAMILY MEANS!"

He laughed again, but there was a certain amount of coldness in his laugh, as I fumed at him.

"Really, you did do an excellent job in hiding your children. They would have been easier to use as lee-way than your sister, I'd imagine," Jethro added thoughtfully.

"LEAVE MY BABIES OUT OF IT!" I screamed, fear entering my soul as it always did when I realized he knew about them, "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

"Ha! Like I've ever seen or talked to them! Honestly, I'd think that your secret-keeper was making it up, if…" Jethro looked amused.

"If what?" I snarled.

"Well, they are not very good at whispering, are they? Every night before they go to bed, I can hear them hissing and tip-toeing around my room," Jethro chuckled softly, "And then, every Sunday, the boy- Nate, right?- slips me a cookie."

"WHAT?" I screamed.

"He does, underneath the door," Jethro laughed, "Usually chocolate chip."

I felt my eyes widen, "Why… Why does he…"

"Because he feels bad, I imagine," Jethro laughed, "Feels bad for me."

I put my face in my hands and tried to calm myself down.

"They're good kids. Somehow they've survived intact through this war, despite you being gone," Jethro added, "Few families do that."

"LIKE YOU'D KNOW!" I screamed, "WE'VE DONE OUR RESEARCH AT THE UDRA TOO. YOU DON'T _HAVE A FAMILY!_ YOU'VE ONLY MATED WITH ELISHA AND THAT'S IT!"

His face lost its mirth and I watched him wearily as he said, "I haven't mated with Elisha."

"Everything we know about you two says you have," I hissed in response.

"She thinks we have," Jethro laughed, his voice cruel again, "But we haven't."

"Explain," I demanded sharply.

"I mean, both partners have to be in love, don't they?" he smirked, "And I am most certainly not in love with her. And I don't think she was in love with me, either."

I watched him, still questioning him with my gaze.

"She recruited me to the Unionists because of Oscuro and how powerful the two of us must be," Jethro rolled his eyes, "And she wanted some of that power in her, through mating, so she tricked herself into believing she was in love with me. I tricked myself too… I wanted to have _her_ power- her dragon isn't larger than Oscuro but you should see the amount of magic she has. So I tricked myself into believing I was in love with her, and for a while, we were both blissfully ignorant that all we had been in love with was the idea of power. Neither of us realized it hadn't actually worked."

"And?" I demanded angrily.

He watched me for a moment, his eyes somewhat lost, and whispered, "And then she killed my family and I realized it wasn't true, but I never told her, even though she should have realized she'd never have been able to kill the family of her mate."

I felt my eyes widen, "Why'd she kill your family?"

"They were muggles," Jethro responded.

An eerie silence filled the room as I tried to digest this information, "Are you really telling the truth?"

"What point is there in lying?" he laughed humorlessly.

"Then… then why are you still… why didn't you just _leave_," I whispered.

"For one, because aside from the whole let's-kill-muggles bit of Unionism, I believe it," Jethro rolled his eyes, "For another… Elisha is a very, very powerful witch and to cross her would be… a bad idea."

"You're _scared of her!_" I laughed.

"Wouldn't you be?" he snapped, "Yes, I am scared of Elisha. I would never tell her that her idea to kill all the muggles is stupid."

"Do you honestly think that all wizards and witches should be riders, though?" I furthered.

"Yes," Jethro responded. We stared at each other, my lips pressed into a thin line.

I set his food down on the dresser and left, slamming the door behind me and locking it with magic. Nate and Alice were in their room and playing.

"Nathaniel Frank Johnson Longbottom," I called in an irritated voice.

"Oooh," Alice laughed, "You're in _troubleee_."

"Yes Mummy?" he asked nervously, coming out of the room and standing in front of me.

"You've been giving Jethro cookies," I stated.

He hung his head and looked ashamed.

"Please stop doing that, sweetheart. He's a dangerous man," I whispered softly, looking down at him, "You hate dragons, right?"

"I don't hate dragons," Nate answered defensively, "I love Uncle Thailus! I just hate riding them."

"Then you don't want to be a Dragon Rider," I whispered.

"We've been _through_ this, mummy, of course I don't!" Nate whined.

"That man in that room," I whispered hoarsely, pointing at the door, fully aware that Jethro could hear me, "Would make you be a Rider if he could."

Nate's eyes widened, "But I'm sc-scared of riding!"

"He'd make you get over it," I affirmed, "Regardless of how scared you were, do you understand?"

"Yes mummy," Nate nodded and looked on the verge of tears.

"That doesn't mean he'll get the chance, I'm just warning you that he's dangerous honey," I gave him a hug, "Go back and play."

Nate nodded and went back into the room, hugging his toad stuffed animal defensively. I thought, idly, that it might be time to get him a real toad.

A few more months passed and 2004 waned on into 2005, and the months of that year waned on as well. Jethro and I did not have another conversation for a while, though I had a funny feeling that Nate was still sneaking him cookies.

One day in November of that year, the skies were a cool grey and a sharp wind was storming through the city. I had just gone to owl Neville a letter, as both of my owls were still making a journey/coming back from one, and I was impatient to talk to him about the last moment we had had, which hadn't actually been from when we were together, but that day when he took that scar for me across his chest. I was anxious to find out what he had been thinking that day and the moment reminded me of it.

As I had been in the Owl Post office, however, I overheard a father shouting at his young son, who could only have just been starting at Wizardry school.

"YOU WILL BOND WITH A DRAGON!" the father shouted loudly, so that the entire office could hear. The boy shouted in response, "NEVER! YOU CAN NEVER MAKE ME DO THAT!"

I was consumed with thought as I entered my house and walked up the stairs, not saying hello to anyone but entering Jethro's room and slamming the door behind me. He looked up at me in that same sense of mild amusement.

"How can you justify making someone do something that they don't want to do?" I hissed, thinking of Neville and the other students in Dark Arts class, forced to use the cruciatus curse and not doing so and getting it used on themselves, "How can you justify changing someone into something they're not?"

His eyes widened slightly, "What do you mean?"

"I mean _forcing people to be dragon riders!_" I screamed.

"The idea is that it is the natural evolution of our species-"

"I've heard the bull," I spat, "Look, if every dragon on the planet and every witch or wizard on the planet agreed to it, maybe you'd have a point. But the idea is abhorrent to some-"

"Backwards people."

"And terrifying to others. Look, not everyone is cut out to do this! It takes a certain type of person! Not necessarily a better one! You're talking like you're prejudiced against anyone and everyone who doesn't want to be a dragon rider or can't be!" I shouted.

"Of course I'm not prejudiced, they should be coaxed, trained, taught, encouraged-"

"You're talking about _changing who a person is!_" I screamed, "Do you honestly think it's OK to _make someone be who they aren't?_"

"**OF COURSE NOT!**" Jethro roared, and I was shocked at the look in his eyes, the fury on his features. It was like a firestorm had erupted behind his gaze and his eyes even flashed briefly red. I stumbled back into the dresser, my heart racing at breakneck speeds.

He climbed off of his bed and approached me, and I suddenly began to fear for my life. His face was inches from mine, nose to nose, and I could see the ghost of red behind his eyes, the ghost of fire, of dragon's flame.

"How can you _say_ that _I_ would make someone _be who they aren't_," he spat, staring at me in fury, before turning around abruptly, his hair whipping about, and stomping away.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SAYING! You're saying you'd change my son into someone who isn't afraid of flying and who wants to keep his soul to himself!" I shouted, but my voice was slightly feebler than it had been.

"THAT'S NOT THE SAME AS… It doesn't… When you…" Jethro was pacing furiously, wringing his wrist with his hand as if to saw it off.

"I would never dream of changing someone's nature and I had never thought of it that way until you said that. But you're right. It is Nate's nature," Jethro didn't look at me, he just continued pacing.

"How do you know Nate's nature?" I snarled, my mother-bear defenses rising.

"He talks to me. When he brings me the cookie. Even talking to him I can tell he likes his feet planted firmly on the ground and you're right, you can't change that, but I never thought… thought of it like…"

I erased my fury with Nathaniel by hissing, "And why, pray tell, does the specific phrase 'changing who a person is' set you off so much?"

"Why does it set me off?" Jethro laughed, but it was a cold laugh, a laugh without humor.

"Yes. Why?" I sneered.

"IT SHOULD BE OBVIOUS!" he screamed. I watched him, afraid again, as his eyes blazed.

"My brother," he began, his eyes now losing the flame and looking dead, "Don't you know about my brother?"

"No, like I said, all we knew about your family was that they were no longer around. We didn't even know that Elisha killed them," I whispered.

"My brother was a muggle, like the rest of my family," Jethro began, his voice weary, "He was a very creative, expressive boy- man. I admired him greatly, though he was a year younger than me. He often confessed that he felt… inadequate… because of my magic."

"Okay, typical of most muggle siblings," I nodded, raising my eyebrows but in kindness.

"But, that didn't matter to my parents- if anything, they were iffy with magic to begin with, and never fully warmed up to it. They were conservative, you see," Jethro laughed humorlessly, "Very conservative. But me being a wizard wasn't _nearly _as bad as my brother, and what he was. At the very least, my magic could protect them, and I went to church with them whenever I came home to show I wasn't subscribing to Satanism, and acted normal, hanging out with the guys and going out with the girls, like they expected their son to do."

"Okay," I whispered quietly.

"My brother," he smirked a little bit, as if trying to laugh at a cruel joke, "Was gay."

I felt my mouth open in a little 'o'.

"Now, today, it is sort of becoming a not big deal- I mean, kids are still bullied, most parents still confused, yadda yadda yadda. But back then it was worse. Not only did my parents send him to all sort of counselors, and yelled at him for every single thing he did that wasn't 'masculine,' even if it was singing- something that many straight men have done- over going into sports, but they clearly frowned upon him, never showed him the love he needed, and had no sympathy once the bullying started."

I stared at Jethro in shock and horror and sympathy.

"He would come home with black eyes and bruised ribs and sprained wrists and ankles on a regular basis. I went to the Chicago school, but we lived in Chicago, so I lived at home, and I witnessed all of this as I poured over spell books and was amazed, in a guilty way, at my luck- if he hadn't been gay, my parents probably would have treated me worse than they did, but they had to be proud of _at least one son_, after all," Jethro sighed, running his hand down his face in exasperation, "I wish it had been me now."

I wanted to comfort him, but the idea of touching him, of putting my hand on his shoulder, frightened me. It was such a change from how I used to want to strangle him.

"I understood. Of course I did, and Jacob could talk to me about it all," Jethro smiled a little, "I told him that it was perfectly natural for him to be gay, because it was, and he shouldn't be straight for mom and dad or so the kids would treat him better or to be more accepted, but that he should be who he is and be proud about it. But saying that same sentence over and over again to my little brother wasn't going to offset the emotional pain of bullying brats and the proud parents for long, would it?"

I shook my head, tears in my eyes.

"The cuts started early on," Jethro sighed, "I could sometimes catch glimpses of them on his wrists, his legs. I didn't say anything for a while," he covered his face with his hand for a moment before sighing and continuing, "I should have… I should have said something…"

"But when… When the room- we shared a room, we had four other siblings and they were all girls- when the carpet in the room was covered in blood I… Well, I was glad I was a wizard, for one, because I could patch him up and clean the carpet without anyone knowing. But… I just… I tried to stop him from doing it. I went about it all wrong. Violently, unfortunately. I would scream and yell at him whenever he cut himself and I…" his voice broke and I felt something within me- my inherent hatred- break as well.

"I never… I never comforted like I should have. I was… I was scared. I was scared of… what he was doing to himself. I should have told our parents. I should have… gotten him help, not help so he wouldn't be gay but help against his… depression. But I… I never did I was a… I was a coward," Jethro held his face in his hands again and his body shook with sobs. I watched him, paralyzed from my spot against the dresser.

"When the cuts stopped showing up as much, I thought, maybe, we were home free. I was just a kid," Jethro whispered, "I was just a seventeen year old kid and he was sixteen and I thought maybe he was getting better. But… One day, when I came home from school, terrified about the exams at the end of the year, because I wanted to do the UDRA but my grades had never been too high because… I was always so stressed about pleasing my parents _and_ taking care of my brother _and_ bringing money home because I had to work and we lived in a poor neighborhood and… I came home and… and…"

I walked forward, unable to stop myself. He couldn't be making this up. Certain memories you cannot fake. Certain emotions cannot be this played out.

I put my hand on his shoulder and he looked up at me with tears streaming down his face, "He was d-dead."

I nodded, my face contorting with pity and sadness.

"I packed up my things, didn't say anything to my family, and took off with Oscuro. We got odd jobs for odd wizards and witches here or there for a few years, until finally one of them, who called herself Elisha and was a good ten years older than me, told me her ideas. That's my life. Right there," Jethro shivered slightly and buried his face in his hands, his fingers running through his hair and clutching at his scalp. I let go of his shoulder and walked slowly to leave the room, when his voice called me back.

"You really… You think… Is what my parents and his schoolmates did to him the same as what… as doing that to… to Nate?" Jethro whispered in a choked voice.

"Yes," I murmured, "Because he would always feel inadequate, different, unneeded, unwanted, because he didn't want to ride."

Jethro's face fell in his hands again and I silently closed the door behind him, locking it. I turned to see Nate standing there, panic on his features.

"I'm sorry, mummy, I'm really sorry! I just feel so bad for him because he's all alone all the time and I'm really, really, really sorry mummy!" he sobbed.

"It's OK Nate," I ruffled his hair and kissed the top of your head, "You can keep talking to him."

"H-Huh?" Nate asked in shock.

"You can keep talking to him," I repeated, "I have to make dinner."

I walked down the steps and could have sworn I heard Nate's voice whispering against a wooden door.

AN: Yaaaaaaaaaay updates! And angst. It continues to be angsty basically until Maggie goes back to the UK, for one reason or another.

Thank you, Bubbles of Ebil, dreamerdrawerwriter7 (even though it wasn't for this chapter,) Talye Kendrin, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, IloveNerds543, Royal Shadow1, and Sexii-chan for reviewing! For a while there were only three and I was at a moral dilemma, so instead of writing this chapter (which I knew would make me cry) I made a family tree for Maggie. You can't see it yet. There are spoilers.

I shall reply to the reviews soon, and as always, four reviews are absolutely needed for the next update, but more are always welcome :) Thank you for your support and feedback! I love it!

REVIEWWWWWWWWWWW


	30. Ch 11: Lost

Ch. 11: Lost

_Oh hell yes, I'm a nervous wreck_

_The drugs just make me reset_

_Knock once for the father, twice for the son_

_Three times for the Holy Ghost_

_~West Coast Smoker by Fall Out Boy_

New Year's Eve, in which the year changed from 2005 to 2006, I decided I was going to see if Jethro had actually started to change. He talked to my son every day, almost, and my daughter frequently as well. We now did not completely ignore each other when I brought him food or to the facilities, but exchanged polite words. I didn't forgive him for my sister, but knowing that she was safe somewhere, lost but safe, comforted me greatly.

I didn't want to betray my confidence with Jethro over his brother, and as such Neville could not understand why I was beginning to understand him.

_I don't get it, Mags,_ he wrote, _I guess that's just the distance talking… Please explain everything when I see you again… I just… I don't understand what he could have said to make up for all the pain he's inflicted on you. You'll forgive me for being unable to feel the same way. _

The depression was deepening, and the distance in belief between Neville and I wasn't helping in the slightest. I felt I was losing him, only still tied to him by our hearts, and my heart was breaking as a result. My children were the only thing I lived for anymore. The team was busy with their assignments, Richard now partnering up with Ezra to make up for my absence, and hardly ever wrote, though Kylie was sure to let me know they were all OK occasionally.

When I confessed this fear of losing him to him, Neville's response was almost immediate (as soon as it could have been for the owl,) and bluntly insistent.

_Dearest Maggie,_

_You could never lose me. There's nothing you could say, nothing you could believe in, no one you could trust that would make me stop loving you and wanting you and wanting to be with you. You are the only person for me. I know that, you know it, magic knows it. We are bonded through magic. You could never lose me. Don't ever worry about that. You have so much else to worry about that it's ridiculous for you to worry about me not loving you or not wanting to be with you anymore. _

_I understand how you're feeling. I feel the same way. You've been through so much and I can't help but remember what your father said- that I wouldn't be able to understand what you went through when you left for the UDRA for a year. Now, it's been seven years, and I am terrified we won't be able to connect as we once did. I'm afraid that I will, in a sense, lose you. _

_That is why this mating is such a good thing, so beneficial. Not because our lives are bound together, clearly your War has proven that this is the downside to it. It's beneficial because we'll never stop loving each other, despite this distance, despite this pain, despite this time. We might have to work on it for years, but one day we will have that same connection we once did. I'm confident of it (partly because I have to be, or else I might go insane.) _

_Don't despair, don't lose hope. I love you. I always will. I always would have, even if this connection was nonexistent and you eventually grew apart from me. _

I was amazed to find a huge paragraph completely smudged with tearstains and I wanted to hug him until he was whole again.

_Sorry. What I said up there was that the very idea of you no longer loving me made me want to tear out my heart. Or something to that extent. _

_You are the only one I could possibly be with. There is no question, and I wouldn't want it to be any other way. _

_I love you, more than you can imagine or dream of. _

_Love,_

_Neville_

I hugged the letter to my chest and couldn't stop the flow of tears that came out as I stood at the counter after reading it. I responded immediately, urging Darwin to fly just as fast as Euclid had, knowing I couldn't have put Euclid through that twice.

_Dearest, Dearest Neville, _

_We were made for each other. The stars combined so that our parents would meet and so that we would meet. There is no question. I never really was one for divination, but fate was always rooting for us. I believe this, deeply. _

_You never have to worry about me. There is no other man in my life who could compare to you, or even nearly compare to you. Who else could I possible want? You're right, we have a connection- but I use the present tense. We still do. When I come back, I will tell you _everything. _It will be a very long conversation, and I apologize right now if that night I am much too exhausted for any love making, but I feel it would be more important to explain what's happened to me these past seven years. _

_Yes, I include all seven. I just- you'll know when I see you again. _

_I've been protecting you, and us, a lot, and I apologize. I never say anything I feel will risk you worrying about me or doing something illegal to get over to me, and I've been overcautious. Now, however, some things are not _in_ my power to reveal. But you will know. I promise. I promise. _

_I did it for you, though. I know that's a poor excuse, but it was always for you. _

_Who could take your place? Who could fill that gap in my heart? Who could make me feel so understood, so loved, and so safe as you do? No one, that's who. And no one could earn my affections, my love, my devotion as you have. You are the only man for me, and I wouldn't want it any other way. _

_I know that I am not perfect- I know that I am reckless, loud, headstrong, stubborn, violent at times, and uncooperative. I only ask that you can love me in spite of this and be patient with me and my insecurities. Taking care of Jethro right now is a very slow, undemanding job and I have little to distract me from how much I miss you. There is a persistent ache in my chest that I used to be able to get rid of when battle or the threat of death distracted me, but now, not so much. _

_I'm clawing at my insides to get to you. I'm screaming inside my head. I dream about you, have moments with you, and wake up from them to find myself in a constant nightmare. I can't do this anymore, but there's nothing I can do to escape this endless pain._

_You're wrong. The death thing is a very good thing, because it's the only thing stopping me from killing myself some days, the idea that you would be forced to die too. _

_I love you. _

_Love,_

_Maggie_

I sealed the letter and sent it off with Darwin, jealous of the owls, jealous of them for getting to see Neville.

(He didn't take the suicide bit well and the next letter from him was filled with worry and fear.)

But beyond that conversation, I was still curious now- yes, curious was the right word- about Jethro. So, when I entered his room on New Year's Eve, I brought a hefty tome- my and Thailus' anatomy book (had both Dragons and Humans in it,) from the Academy.

He looked up in shock as I set it down on his dresser.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"What do you believe now in Unionism?" I asked bluntly. He looked at me wearily.

"I have never agreed with the killing muggles and squibs bit," he paused, "And… And I no longer think it's a good idea to force all wizards and witches to become dragon riders, or… or for all riders to Unite."

I felt my eyebrows fly into my hair, "Really? That last bit?"

"It's the same deal as making all wizards and witches become dragon riders," Jethro sighed, his voice almost lost, "Not everyone would want to do that. You certainly don't, and I can understand why."

I raised my eyebrows.

"You and Neville, Thailus and Emralda. Those matings wouldn't work anymore and I… I see how much you love him," Jethro shrugged.

I frowned at him suspiciously, "You've never seen me with him."

"I see what you're like when you get a letter from him," Jethro responded, "I've seen the way you act when it's been a while since you've gotten one. I used to spy your floo and I heard how you talked to each other and how you acted with each other. It just drove home more how much Elisha and I _aren't_ mated."

I watched him for a while, "So you still believe it can be done?"

"Yes," Jethro nodded vigorously, "Regrettably, no one has survived the experiments, but we _will_ get there."

"First off, aren't you ever _disgusted_ that you kill people for this?" I snapped angrily, "Second off, flip through this, and tell me if it still can be done," I pointed to the book and left the room, slamming the door slightly behind me.

It was a few weeks before he brought the subject up to me again, and in those weeks I seemed to be shutting down. The distance from Neville was going to make me catatonic before long and we could both sense it, both fear it.

I needed something to live for.

I walked into Jethro's room, as per usual, bringing him some food, when he slammed the book down on the dresser and faced me. I was satisfied to see that he was taller than me, but definitely shorter than Neville.

"I have some complaints about this textbook," Jethro began.

"OK," I shrugged, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Both dragons and humans are warm-blooded animals," Jethro began.

"With different blood types and humans have white blood cells while dragons have black blood cells, so those won't mesh," I responded.

"Both dragons and humans have the same basic bodily systems…" he continued.

"With noticeable and important differences that make it impossible to combine them," I rolled my eyes.

"Both dragons and the humans in question have the same amount of magic in their possession…"

"Actually not, every individual actually has variant amount of magical ability, and besides that, the _kind_ of magic dragons and humans have are _very different_, so they would clash and possibly- and probably have- destroyed the newly combined individual, like some sort of bad chemistry experiment."

"Both have similar brains with similar intelligence levels."

"We're talking about the entire body, and besides that, the Dragon brain is more lengthwise than round like ours, and you'd therefore have to pick which head to put on the amalgamation- you're talking about some weird Frankenstein!"

"If they're the same gender, the reproductive systems-"

"Would fail, dragons produce hard shelled eggs whereas humans are placental mammals, and when combined, the two make for a dead child and possibly dead mother because the egg would destroy the womb of the mother or the small zygote wouldn't survive being laid."

"The ability to breathe fire-"

"Is a carefully controlled system in the dragon body, an entire bodily system, and in the human one it's an accident that almost destroys internal organs each time."

"Exactly, so by combining them humans would be given that system and therefore a safer way to breathe fire."

"One plus," I snapped, "One."

"Explain why the other bodily systems don't work," Jethro snapped angrily.

"Liver- dragons don't have a liver and don't need one. Skeletal systems don't line up. Stomachs are very different, hence why dragons don't need a liver. Lungs are very, extraordinarily different, as are the hearts. Muscular systems work differently. Dragons have completely different glands than humans do. Want more?" I rolled my eyes.

He fumed at me, "Why don't you want to-"

"It isn't a question of belief or nonbelief, Jethro," I whispered, "This isn't a thing based on faith. It will never work and you have to accept that."

He scowled at me and threw the book violently on the ground before stomping over to his bed, hissing, "Aren't you going to leave now?"

"What is Unionism really about for you, Jethro?" I whispered, "Why do you actually cling to it, believe in it?"

"I don't see why you care."

"No," I snarled, "I don't either," and I slammed the door behind me.

More weeks went by, and I threw myself into teaching my children, soaring through reading and arithmetic skills, hoping that they would be safe when they turned eleven so I could send them to school, somewhere. I gave them hand magic tattoos and Alice discussed plans for bonding with one of Thailus and Emralda's children, a young aquamarine dragon named Illy. Both were around the same comparative age and both really wanted to commit to the bond. Thailus even confessed that his daughter was becoming almost belligerent.

It was May 2006 and the twins were celebrating their seventh birthday. The house was filled with balloons and it was me, Miss Olson, and Kylie surrounding the two with their new toys- Alice's first broomstick and a huge, grow-your-own-color-changing-rosebush kit for Nate, which he was eagerly opening and reading the directions for. Miss Olson got them, on the other hand, the first six volumes of a book series written by this muggle, who had an uncanny understanding of the magical world and what exactly had happened to Harry Potter. (The official report was that, it was written as fiction, so no one would believe it real, and as such, it did not have to be destroyed. However, the Ministry of Magic had warned the author that she had to change at least one plot detail in the final book, or else the ministry would act. It was quite popular, though, so erasing it from the memory of every muggle that had heard of it on the planet would have been a pain.) Kylie had gotten Alice a huge bin filled with toy dragons that flew around and breathed fire that quickly went out, where she got Nate a fish tank with fish that could change color and shape and didn't require much care.

We were all laughing at Alice in the background as she flew around and laughed with glee, higher than the three feet off the ground that her kiddie broomstick had provided. I quietly slipped into the house to feed Jethro, but when I opened the door I saw him waiting for me, standing with his hands in his pockets and looking anxious.

"Can I say happy birthday to the kids?" he asked feebly, "Face-to-face?"

I looked at him wearily, still not completely trusting of him, but knowing in the back of my head how the kids had already asked for this, "Under my supervision."

He nodded, but his face broke into a huge grin and he looked like Christmas had come early. I set down the food and locked the door.

"Tell Nate to bring his stuffed toad!" Jethro shouted at the door.

I frowned but ran downstairs to go and get them, shouting the instructions at Nate. He ran to his room and grabbed the old, worn out, slightly torn and with bits of fluff coming out, animal. He and Alice looked at the door eagerly and I opened it, holding my breath with nervousness and fear.

"Happy birthday kids!" Jethro came out and beamed at them, his arms twitching at his sides as if to hug them, but our eyes met and he saw my terrified facial expression and refrained.

"Thanks Uncle Jethro!" both said in unison. I was shocked to hear them use this form of address.

"Alright, well, you two know perfectly well that I couldn't get you anything," Jethro paused, "But if there's one thing I have, it's an excess of magical energy, since I can only let it out when I'm in the bathroom," he frowned at me in mock annoyance. I was shocked. I had never even thought about how unhealthy it was for him that he was bottling it up.

"So, Alice, for you," and his hand waved in the air and a book appeared, titled _Dragon Riding: The Basics_. I remembered the book; it had been one of my favorites as a kid, and I knew its contents well. I approved. Alice took the book and beamed up at him, her face lighting up and striking me (as always) with its similarities to Neville.

"Thank you so, so much Uncle Jethro!" she grinned, "Oh, I can't wait to read it!"

"And for you, Nate, can I see your toad?" Jethro smiled kindly. Nate handed over his favorite toy without a second thought.

Jethro held it in his left hand- his dominant hand- and waved his right over it. Suddenly, the stuffed toy shrunk, changed its general pallor, and started to ribbit.

"No!" Nate gasped, his face beaming.

"I thought it was time you had a real one, no?" Jethro was grinning. Nate took the toad and looked at it with an expression of complete adoration, showing a similar one to Jethro.

"Now," Jethro paused, kneeling down to Nate's height to look him closer in the face, "A stuffed toad is fine to just call 'toad,' but a real one needs a name, don't you think?"

Nate nodded in agreement, "Mummy keeps talking about getting me a toad and I already figured it out."

"Oh? What have you decided?" Jethro asked pleasantly.

"Luna," Nate beamed at the both of us now and I felt tears prick my eyes, "After Aunt Luna. Mummy misses her a lot."

Jethro grinned, "That's a good name. Good thing I made her a girl, too." But I saw his hand wave briefly over the toad and he shrunk and changed form a bit without Nate noticing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you Uncle Jethro! I need a bowl! Mummy, can I have a bowl? And some water? And I'll go out in the back and get some sand from the yard and a rock and maybe a leaf so she can have a lily pad!" Nate was jumping around in excitement, his face lighting up like the sun.

I laughed, "I'll take care of all that. You two go back downstairs, now."

They both hugged Jethro, something that I didn't even try to stop, and ran downstairs, Nate practically skipping and Alice burying her nose in the book. I turned to Jethro, trying really hard to not cry.

"That was… incredible," I whispered, "You really know them."

He shrugged, looking away, "We've talked a lot, you know that."

"I know, but…" I wiped my eyes, "Thank you. It was exceptionally kind."

He looked up at me, his black eyes also kind of watery, "I suppose… First off, I care about those two, they don't really have a father do they? Not yet. They will, though," Jethro smiled slightly at me.

I looked at him in shock.

"And… And I guess…" He looked down and shuffled his feet a little, "It's my… really, really crappy and inadequate way of… trying to make up for what I did to… what I did to Elena. And to you."

He looked abruptly away and leaned towards the door as if to go through it. I bit my lip and tried harder to not let the tears fall. I could have gone the bitchy rout, and say I didn't forgive him yet (because I couldn't until he renounced Unionism and Elena came back, not _really_.) Instead, I went the honest but kind route.

"I deeply appreciate it, and I know they do too," I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder again, him looking down at me with a small smile, a facial expression that was so rare for him it shocked me a little.

I should have been terrified at the fact that I was vulnerable, my wand in my room, and he was outside, where he could hurt me with magic.

But I wasn't.

He grasped my arm slightly, his hand moving up to mine and squeezing it, before walking back into his room and closing the door behind him. I hesitated, bouncing on the balls of my feet, wondering whether or not I should lock it.

"Aren't you going to lock it?" he laughed from inside.

I did so, but not feeling entirely alright with it. My heart was racing in my neck and I felt thoroughly confused, uncomfortable, and terrified.

A few more weeks went by, in which we remained at an impasse, though we were both considerably kinder to each other. I even let him see Nate and Alice, though standing at the doorway to supervise.

Just as I finished sending Neville's happy 26th Birthday letter (in which I actually managed to sincerely convey fluffy, romantic thoughts,) I heard his voice from his room. He was sobbing.

I crept out of my own room and entered his quietly, locking the door behind me. His face was in his hands and his hair was a mess. I watched him, not saying anything, a frown upon my face.

"Why'd you have to do that to me?" Jethro whispered, his voice shaking.

"Do what?" I responded, terrified.

"Make me rethink everything? You have managed in the span of a few short years to rock my entire worldview. I'm terrified because I can't stop my mind from changing," Jethro's voice was lost, soft, far away.

"Explain please," I whispered.

"I never thought it was OK to kill muggles. You made me realize that I really didn't think everyone should be a rider or should unite either, though I had always ignored that nagging suspicion. I never wanted to kill anyone with the experiments, but I can't ignore the truth of your words: unionism will never work. I can't ignore it anymore and it's rocking my very soul, Maggie. Why did you have to make my mind change for me?"

I watched him, my eyes wide, "I didn't _make you_. Logic made you."

"I didn't want to change my mind!"

"Why do you cling to it?" I sighed, fighting back my anger, "Why do you want to believe in it so much?"

"First off, I'm a coward," Jethro snapped, "And Elisha will, literally, murder me and Oscuro in a very violent, painful way, at the same time, so that we both feel it."

"That can't be the only reason," I rolled my eyes.

"And you don't understand how much I've grown to need this idea that Oscuro and I could become one person," Jethro finished, looking at me desperately, the look making me terrified again.

"Why?" I responded, I admit, rather cruelly.

"Why? Hasn't the thought _ever_ occurred to you? Doesn't it _ever_ seem like a nice idea?" Jethro snapped.

"No," I rolled my eyes, "I am happy with my identity, and he with his. To be honest, Jethro, it seems horrific."

"Well, the idea of continuing to be just Jethro Rockefeller is horrific to me!" he roared, looking at me with crazed eyes. I took a step back and watched him anxiously.

"I don't want to be this anymore!" he shouted, shaking his ratted shirt (I needed to get him a new one somehow,) and looking insane, "I don't need to be only myself! I can't be this weak, little human anymore!"

"You're a wizard!" I shouted back, "You are anything but weak!"

"I am weak!" he practically screamed, "I COULDN'T SAVE MY BROTHER. I COULDN'T! And he was the person I was closest to, the only person I've ever really been close to, besides Oscuro!"

"Then why do you want Oscuro to be you? Why do you want to take away that last close bond?" I demanded angrily, deeply confused.

"I CAN'T HANDLE THE FACT THAT WE'RE SEPARATED RIGHT NOW!" Jethro screamed in response, "I can't handle that I'm forever separated from Jacob, because after what I've seen _I don't believe in an afterlife_, and I don't want to be separated from Oscuro! I don't! I don't want to have to handle that _anymore!_"

I was struck by this statement and I could feel my anger and frustration slide directly off of my face. Something I could understand was no longer wanting to be separated from the ones you love.

"I understand," I whispered. He looked up at me, his face at first angry, before realization came over it and his face contorted into sadness.

"I don't think uniting with him would help though," I continued, "I really don't, even if it worked. Then you wouldn't be yourself anymore, and it wouldn't be the same connection, the same conversation, the same relationship. You'd be talking to yourself. You'd wish you were separate because you'd at least have your best friend back."

He hung his face in his hands and sobbed, "Just go."

I stood there, hesitant, teetering on the edge of a decision. Thailus entered my mind, though we talked mentally so much lately it wasn't a surprise.

_Oscuro is much the same, and he says that he has the same reason for subscribing to Unionism_, Thailus paused, _they both are breaking down, aren't they? _

_Yes, _I responded gravely, _I think they need to see each other again. _

_I agree_, he affirmed, _I'll send Emralda to Dr. Tennys straightaway, explaining everything. Comfort him. He needs it._

I sat down on the bed next to Jethro, patting his shoulder again though he flinched away from the contact.

"I understand how you're feeling completely," I murmured, "I have lost the person I was closest to for very nearly eight years now. For a year, I was completely separated from Thailus, save a few exceptions. I've lost my sister, my parents, and the bulk of my closest friends. I understand what it's like to be alone, and to not want to lose anyone else, to want to keep them as close as possible."

His body shook slightly with another sob.

"I just think that, even if it could work, it wouldn't be a solution," I mumbled again, patting his shoulder when he didn't scoot away from me again.

He continued to cry into his hands and I watched calmly, pityingly. Hours waned on as I watched him sob and rubbed his back, amazed at how differently I felt towards him after two years of getting to know him, knowing that to anyone else, trusting him would sound completely mental.

He finally lifted his face from his hands and wiped his nose off on the back of his hand, "I'm sorry."

"It's OK," I whispered.

"About everything," he furthered.

I hesitated, "I… I still… For everything but Elena, I can forgive you. I don't understand why you were so violent, but I can understand why you believed in Unionism."

"I was violent," he paused slightly, "Because I am a very, very angry person."

I laughed loudly and he smirked a little.

"No, seriously. I bottled up my emotions about Jacob for quite a long time before Elisha gave me a nice, violent avenue to unleash them. I got so into the cause, into Elisha's violent words and ideas, that I didn't even realize that what I was doing was punishing the world for Jacob's pain and death. I didn't want to kill anyone that disagreed with me; I wanted to kill anyone who was alive when Jacob wasn't and who got in my way," Jethro lied back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, "Like I said, I'm a coward."

"I think you're human," I murmured, still sitting, "Human, and someone who has been through a lot and has a lot of complex emotions."

"You'd know about that," he grinned a little.

"You laugh," I rolled my eyes.

"I am really, truly sorry about Elena though," Jethro paused, "Now that I view you as a person, rather than a target to be eliminated, I understand how exceptionally hypocritical it was for me to steal your sister, to take away another close person from you," his voice shook slightly, "I know that… that if it had been me… Anyways, I'm sorry. I wish I hadn't done it."

I laid back to look at him in the eyes, feeling the shocking truth of these words rock my entire being, "I… I forgive you."

His head rose up in shock and he looked at me in amazement, "How can you?"

"I… Just… Do," I whispered.

"I wouldn't forgive me," he laughed.

"I understand you," I continued softly, "I understand why you've done what you've done, and I believe that you've had a change in heart. I wish you hadn't taken her, but you say she's safe. At least you didn't kill her. Then, probably not."

He watched me for a very long time, his black eyes searching my teal.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," I responded, smiling slightly.

"Why aren't your eyes completely blue?" he asked quietly.

I grinned, "These are magical eyes, Jethro."

He snorted.

"No, I'm being completely serious," I laughed, "My old eyes were green, really bright green eyes that run through my family on my mom's side. Elena has them, Nate has them. And, when I bonded with Thailus, we found out that they are so strong, so imprinted in our genes, that even magic can't completely fight them! Thailus' eyes, if you were to examine, aren't completely blue anymore either, they also are teal."

"That's funny," Jethro smiled a little, "I would have liked to see them, both his and yours, as they were."

I felt my face flush and I looked away abruptly, "Yeah, well, there you go. What color were yours before you bonded?"

"Grey," he paused, "So not much of a change."

"Nah," I smiled a little at the ceiling despite myself, "Grey is warmer, more human than black."

He laughed glumly, "So you guys thought I wasn't fully human?"

"Some people did," I bit back a chuckle, "You were unstoppable."

"That's how mad at the world I was," he sighed, "Don't you just want to go out there and kill to get to Neville, sometimes? I thought, sometimes, in my weaker moments, that if I killed one more nameless face, Jacob would be back and laughing again."

I swallowed, "I will admit... I am a dragon rider… Sometimes I think just fighting my way past everyone in my way to Neville will work… yes."

"Thank you," Jethro whispered. We sat there in silence for a few more moments.

"Most of the Unionists are scared of you, too," Jethro added after a while. I laughed.

"Really? I let Ashley go," I commented.

"Yeah, but anyone who actually is fighting and isn't a kid is basically screwed when you show up," Jethro was laughing under his breath, "Not so much because you'd kill them, but because they'd be thrown in prison."

"I was just doing my job!" I answered defensively, "I don't even want to be here!"

"I'm not blaming you!" Jethro was still laughing, "I just found it funny how scared everyone was of you. That's all."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm glad you found their terror amusing."

"I don't mean it like that," Jethro sighed softly, "Look, most if not all of them never had to face you, and probably never would have had to. They were afraid of a faceless name and I found it amusing, alright? Meanwhile, anyone who had ever faced you, be it me or Tom or Cara or someone else somewhat powerful, wasn't nearly as terrified. Unwilling to face you again, definitely. But scared shitless? Not so much. _That's_ why it was funny."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, people were calling you a black demon, like a lethifold or something. I found it funny cause I had faced you," I grinned a little, "And you were certainly human."

"Cool! I'm a Lethifold? I get props," Jethro was laughing very hard and I waited for him to be done with a smirk on my face.

"Why do you think so many people believe in this?" I asked softly after a while.

"Dunno," Jethro paused, "I really dunno, honestly. It varies, doesn't it? There are the loonies, and I'm unfortunate to have counted myself among them, who actually believe everything Elisha has set down in her philosophy. Though, I never fully believed it, did I? Then there are others who just kind of ignore all the violent stuff and wish to unite with their dragon. Then there are others who like violence and want to be a part of it. Some want to kill muggles and squibs and all non-riders. Some just don't want to become victims of the experiments. Others were bullied, pressured into it because they had powerful dragons or powerful humans. Sort of a combo I guess."

I sighed, "It's like Britain all over again."

"You must really be sick of all this," Jethro murmured softly.

"Everywhere I turn someone wants to kill me! Jesus!" I groaned, "Torture, fighting, battles, curses, rape, kidnap, violence, disasters, all this stuff I never really had to experience and well look at that!"

"It's not like it'll follow you back to Britain," Jethro laughed.

"So?" I rolled my eyes, "Violence will find a way."

"Still, the Unionist thing won't follow. Which would you say was harder, the Dark Lord, or Unionism?" Jethro asked.

"The Dark Lord was pure, true evil. Unionism is just a bad idea… But ideas can entrench in the hearts of good and bad people. Evil only truly takes hold in the worst of hearts or the weakest of hearts. So actually, Unionism," I laughed a little, "Though neither are easy at all."

"True enough," Jethro laughed. Another silence ensued.

"I think… Thailus is going to try and bring over Oscuro," I murmured softly.

Jethro sat up and I finally turned my head from the ceiling to look over at him, "Really? You'd really do that? For us?"

"Yeah," I whispered. Jethro's face lit up in the largest smile I had ever seen on it and he jumped from the bed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I can't wait! Can we fly? That's too much to ask, I know, but maybe a little? With Thailus and Emralda like on either side? I _promise_ I won't escape I- oh thank you!" he ran over to me as I sat up and hugged me. I felt my eyes widen in shock at the contact- rather surprising and strong- but I returned the hug, grinning a little in spite of myself. He was acting like my son at Christmas.

"Side question," I realized as he pulled back and continued to grin like a child, "Why did you never try to escape?"

His eyes widened, "I did. Did she not tell you?"

I frowned at him.

"Remember early on? When you had to go to the office and left Miss Olson in charge?" he asked. I nodded, vaguely remembering it.

"She let me go to the bathroom and I managed to get pretty far before she stopped me. She is an exceptionally powerful witch," Jethro grimaced slightly.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"You haven't realized it?" Jethro rolled his eyes, "She's paralyzed from the waist down. That's a lot of energy that isn't being used that would have been in her legs. She channels it as magic."

I nodded, amazed by the truth of this, "So you realized you basically had no chance?"

"When you're gone, she's here. When she's gone, you're here. And lately," he shrugged, looking down briefly, "I don't want to leave."

I bit my lip and felt very, very strange.

"Why?" I asked quietly, knowing Oscuro and Thailus and Emralda were on their way.

"At the Unionists, I was ostracized for being Elisha's 'mate' and being so powerful and terrifying, even to other Unionists. When doing odd jobs, I was ostracized because I was a lone, drop-out wizard with a monstrous dragon. At home, I was ostracized by my family, and the kids at school for my dragon. Here, your kids, even you now for a while, accept me," he looked away and turned to leave the room abruptly.

"Here I have friends," he whispered and he disappeared, obviously aware that they had just landed in the yard. I sat back on his bed, my face in my hands.

As I monitored the flying from Thailus' point of view, the two children in question came into my room, looking at me expectantly.

"Mummy?" Alice asked cheerfully. Nate was hugging Luna tightly.

"Yes?" I responded, looking up and at them.

"Is Jethro going to be our new daddy?" Alice asked. Nate stomped on her foot.

"That's _not how we were going to ask!_" Nate moaned, "We don't need a new daddy!"

"Fine. Is Jethro going to do daddy's job for a while?" Alice asked again, rolling my eyes.

I watched them both in shock, "Why would you think that?"

"He's been around _forever_, and he's really really nice, and you guys get along now," Alice explained.

"He understands us," Nate nodded furiously. I watched them both, stung by their words, pained for Neville, an ache growing in my chest because I knew he would be a great father if I had let him.

"Kids, I have to explain something to you," I murmured softly, "Sit down." They both sat next to me on the bed and listened attentively as I explained so many things I should have explained already- what dragon riding actually entailed, how I've changed because of it, what their father meant to me, what sex was (earlier than I wanted 'the talk' to happen, but I guess it went hand in hand with) mating, and the nature of why I hadn't told about them to their father. By the end, in which they were both very quiet and attentive, they were both frowning.

"So you don't love Jethro?" Nate asked feebly.

"No, honey, I don't," I whispered.

Everything within me stung. I couldn't believe they even thought that I did.

"But it's almost been ten years since you last really saw daddy," Alice caught on, "Aren't you… you're always so sad… we thought that because Uncle Jethro makes you happy sometimes you loved him…"

"He makes me not be depressed," I answered calmly, though I was fighting back violent sobs, "Because I've focused on making him change his views on Unionism, and that has distracted me from your father."

"But now what will distract you?" Nate asked, his voice terrified, "We don't want you to be depressed again mummy!"

"No!" Alice agreed, "And… And… if you become… cattonic…"

"Catatonic, sweetheart," I whispered.

"We won't have _any_ parents!" Nate sobbed. I looked at them both sadly.

"We _will_ go back to your father," I murmured, "I promise."

Both of them looked skeptical, having heard it a billion times before, but nodded. They hugged me and left the room quietly.

Even though I now let him out of his room, though still under moderate supervision, I didn't talk to Jethro much anymore. He noticed, and would try and start conversations, which I ended in the quickest fashion possible. I felt rude and mean, but I couldn't have the kids saying things like 'replacement father.'

No one replaced Neville.

When the year of 2006 drew to a close, he had been extraordinarily cooperative for the entirety of his temporary 'probation,' and I had decided that it was time to get him his freedom.

We entered UDRA headquarters and both of us ignored the gasps and screams of fright at the sight of him, though he had now disappeared for over two years. According to most rumors, people thought he was dead. Jethro did have a slight grin on his face as we calmly entered Dr. Tennys' office.

"What the- Maggie! You didn't say you were bringing him!" Dr. Tennys shouted, looking at him in terror. I rolled my eyes.

"Any chance we'll be interrupted?" I asked calmly.

"No, no, but let me close the door. You didn't _parade_ him through the hallway did you?" Dr. Tennys asked in shock as he waved his wand and the door closed.

"Perhaps," I waved off the subject with my hand, "Look, Dr. Tennys-"

"I got your letter," he snapped, "And I, unlike you, do not believe him."

"Why not, sir?" Jethro asked calmly.

"We have never found any evidence of your brother's apparent 'suicide'-"

"Of course you didn't. They may have been muggles, but they were crafty little bastards. Having a son who killed himself, therefore sending himself to hell, must have been almost as bad as the fact that he was gay in the first place," Jethro rolled his eyes.

Dr. Tennys fumed at the both of us, watching me with frustrated eyes, "I am going to question him on my own. I have veritaserum. Maggie, if you could help me ensure that he takes it," Dr. Tennys nodded at me and Jethro sat down in a chair as I stood next to him, my arms folded across my chest. Jethro looked at me in slight amusement and I tried to hide my smile. Dr. Tennys walked over, gave Jethro the potion, and he cooperatively downed it all in one gulp.

"Well, Ms. Johnson, if you could please leave whilst I question him," Dr. Tennys nodded. I shrugged and left the room, gently shutting the door. I leaned up against it, though, my heart going at breakneck speeds as I feared that everything he had told me was a lie.

But, as Dr. Tennys questioned him over every point of Unionism, he responded firmly that he did not believe them. Every point he parried with the reason why he no longer, or never did, subscribe to it. And I knew my house. He had never left it unsupervised by Thailus and I did not have the ingredients to combat veritaserum.

He was telling the truth.

He had actually changed.

"Fine, Mr. Rockefller," Dr. Tennys finally sighed, "One final question."

"Sure," he responded cheerfully. I was trying to hide a giddy smile at the fact that I hadn't been misled.

"Why, _really_, did you change your mind?"

There was a very long silence.

"I told you why, sir."

"There has to be another reason! People just don't change their worldviews like this without no underlying change in themselves!"

"Sir…"

"ANSWER ME."

I held my ear against the door anxiously.

"Dr. Tennys, that is a private question."

"What. Changed."

I swallowed.

"I am in love with Maggie Johnson."

I slid down against the door and held my face in my hands between my knees.

"That is no-"

"I am in love with Maggie Johnson but I would never tell her. I would never tell her because she has already mated and would never fall in love with me. I want her to be happy, but most of all, I want her to be safe again. And I want to fight the Unionists so she will be safe and happy again because the war will be over, and she will be in the UK. Not to mention, because I have fallen for her, I am more easily susceptible to her beliefs and points of view, so that I no longer believe in Unionism."

"Will you fight for us?"

"Till the death."

"For her? Really?"

"Always."

I ran away from the door, sprinting down the hallway, my eyes unseeing, my heart thrumming against my sternum as I reached the outdoors and apparated home.

What had I done?

AN: Ah, evil twists. Notice parallels I've drawn with canon characters.

A week from today, I move into college. A week from next Tuesday, I start class. I really won't be able to update as often with my schedule (if you really want to know what it is, go to schedulizer . com and after the / put ag9h ) I will do my best, but I'm going to get as much done as I can over the next week.

Thank you Royal shadow1, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, Ilovenerds543, Bubbles of Ebil, and Talye Kendrin for reviewing (as always, I love you guys.) I will respond to your reviews soon!

As always, four reviews are required for an update, more are always welcome. In college, however, this will continue, but an update isn't guaranteed to happen ASAP after I receive for reviews… well, I mean, it is, but college's definition of ASAP is NOT the same as summer's.

Finally: Theme song for Jethro in these past two chapters: Truth by Seether. Look up the lyrics, listen to it.

REVIEW!

P.S. AN: Everyone is NOT falling for Maggie. First off, there are more boys in this story by far than the four who you could potentially site for me. Second off:  
1) Neville = Given  
2) Jethro = Alone, in a room, only people he talks to are a woman and her two kids, shown kindness from someone ruling over him for the first time in his life; given  
3) Seamus = Really, really, REALLY wanted to get ride of Lavender, I thought I made that obvious- and he is most definitely over her now  
4) Richard = A funny case, that goes into more detail later.

REVIEW!


	31. Ch 12: Helpless

Ch. 12: Helpless

_Losing my sight_

_Losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_Nothing's all right_

_Nothing is fine_

_I'm running and I'm crying _

_~Last Resort by Papa Roach_

I sat down in my living room and stared up at the ceiling for a long time, trying to digest the war going on in my head and in my life. Time passed by slowly between when I had reached home and when the front door opened.

"Hello?" Jethro's voice called out hesitantly.

"UNCLE JETHRO!" I heard Nate call out, running down the steps with a _thump-thump-thump-thump_, "Are you free?"

"For the most part. Where's your mum?" he asked calmly.

"Dunno, she's home?" Nate replied with shock in his voice.

"She wasn't there when I finished talking to Dr. Tennys, so I assume so," Jethro sighed, "Maggie?"

I stood up and walked to the front hallway and smiled warmly at him, unable to keep up a cold and distant façade any longer, knowing what I now knew.

"Why'd you leave?" Jethro asked curiously. I smiled slightly.

"I thought that he was going to keep you there for a while so I came home to read a book. So what did you guys decide on?" I asked cheerfully.

"I'm going to work for the UDRA for a few years and still live on probation with you," Jethro frowned apologetically, "Just to make sure I don't revert back to my 'old ways.'"

_And so he keeps seeing me and remembering why he changed in the first place_, I thought wryly.

"Alright then. I will be fighting with you I assume?" I asked.

"Yep. Our first assignment is on the second of January and we'll be down in Texas. I explained to Dr. Tennys that there was something big down there, but I can't tell him- or you- what it is. Fidelius Charm," he frowned apologetically.

"So how will we strike there?" I asked curiously.

"Mainly by monitoring the area around it. People come and go a lot, you see, and they usually aren't very secretive about it. And usually they're alone, so we'll be able to capture a lot of people," Jethro nodded.

"Okedoke then. Two weeks until we leave," I smiled and walked back up to my room, locking the door behind me as I sat down to write Neville a long, lengthy, romantic letter.

Two weeks later, Thailus, Jethro, Oscuro and I (a sentence I never actually thought I'd say) were flying over the American prairie, long shadows cast beneath us. It was the first time I had been on an assignment in nearly three years and the feeling was almost exhilarating.

"Nearly there!" Jethro called and he and Oscuro dove slightly, twisting in midair. Thailus and I followed closely, the wind rushing through my hair.

We entered a steeper dive as we came up on drier land, neatly landing in the middle of a field of long grass. The grass swayed delicately in the breeze and Oscuro and Thailus looked overly large in the middle of it, though the grass only just missed covering my and Jethro's heads.

"They'll have to circle above, using cloud cover," Jethro whispered softly. I nodded and the two took off, climbing higher and higher until they were no longer visible and could have been muggle planes.

We crouched low in the grass, looking around, him expectantly and me skeptically. They obviously would be secretive and quiet about entering and leaving the place and the fact was that I didn't expect to catch anyone.

But then, there it was. A violent shade of magenta appeared practically out of nowhere- a small, armed dragon with a twenty something year old girl atop it. The dragon and the girl looked around for a moment, in which Jethro leaned over and hissed in my ear, "A new recruit named Siobhan. Though, she was new over two years ago, so she's probably good now."

I nodded, and we crept along behind the magenta dragon and our own dragons dived from the sky, silent until all at once the dragons pinned down the magenta one and two silent stunners spun through the air and hit the girl. The dragon didn't put up even a fuss and the girl collapsed smoothly.

"Alright," I laughed and Jethro conjured ropes out of thin air, tying up the dragon and the girl as Oscuro and Thailus calmly dragged them over where they wouldn't be seen and took off into the air again.

We waited along for hours, pinning down dragon and rider after dragon and rider as the sun lowered over the horizon.

A large one appeared out of the nothingness and we began our usual routine, diving and charging, but this one noticed- he turned on his heel and disappeared again, a flash of bright yellow turning into nothing.

"Crap," Jethro whispered, "They'll send out people to attack us."

Thailus zoomed forward and grabbed me as Oscuro did the same for Jethro, hiding the captured under disillusionment charms as we began to fly off, me wondering privately how we were going to come back for them.

Curses started flying over our heads and we turned to see a crowd of dragons and riders coming at us, fire and magic filling the air. Oscuro took on four of them as Thailus took on three, claws scratching at necks and tearing through bone and skin.

Two of Oscuro's opponents fell and one of Thailus', and we both doubled back and zoomed into the sky and dived towards the four remaining as curses flew at us. A sectumsempra hit my arm and I clutched at it to stem the bleeding, slashing my wand in the air and watching as another dragon and rider fell down to the ground far below and fire ignited the air.

Jethro shot out a curse at another Unionist and a dragon roared in extreme pain. Another one, a man, shouted out.

"YOU TRAITOR!" and a curse spun through the air and hit Jethro squarely in the chest. He gasped and collapsed on Oscuro, but the black dragon stayed aloft, hovering slightly.

I roared in fury and Thailus dove at the unionist, whom upon close examination I noticed was Tom. He stared at me in fury and we dueled atop our dragons, curses flying as Thailus managed to block and dive those from the other two remaining.

Oscuro feebly managed to drag another pair down and throw them across the sky as I now dueled Tom and another Unionist I didn't know at once. I grunted with the effort of dueling them as Thailus and I spun around constantly to deal with the two opponents at once.

Soon enough, Tom disappeared and the other followed him closely, going where I could not follow as Thailus roared in frustration. We turned to Oscuro, who was still hovering with all his strength, and Thailus gently lifted Jethro onto his back as I began to heal Oscuro's wounds with softly murmured spells. Soon he was flying normally, and I jumped back to Thailus, flipping slightly in the air as I landed smoothly on his back and we flew back to DC.

Jethro was breathing irregularly and I waved my wand over him, realizing that he had sustained a substantial amount of internal damage and working quickly to heal him before he got any worse. His ragged breaths filled the air and pierced my lungs and heart.

Finally, his eyes opened wide, a shiny black in the midst of white. He tried to sit up but I, whilst shushing, gently pushed him back down with my hand on his shoulder. I was supernaturally aware of every touch between us, as if each were a crime.

"What happened?" Jethro grunted.

"Rest," I murmured, healing cuts on his arm with my wand, "Tom got furious with you, of course. Really, this was a dumb idea, going straight after them when they didn't even know you were alive."

"They probably had an inkling, but that's beside the point," Jethro groaned, "Jesus Christ, can you fix my leg?"

"I started at the top, I'll get there soon," I soothed.

He chuckled but it sounded somewhat squeaky as my wand waved over his torso and I reached his leg. It was broken in multiple spots and his other leg was bloody. I frowned and creased my forehead with concentration as I worked to heal him as Thailus flew over the American landscape.

"I think a dragon got to me," Jethro grunted, pointing at both his legs, "Or multiple ones."

"You and Oscuro took on too much," I rolled my eyes, "You've got to pace yourselves."

"Ha! You're one to talk!" Jethro laughed, but winced as I set one of his fractures.

When everything was done, he looked at me with an expression of deep sincerity as he murmured, "Thanks."

"No prob," I nodded, "Strange to be fighting on the same side, eh?"

"Definitely," he grinned slightly, "What did you do with the guys we got?"

"I sent a patronus to Miss Olson. People to gather them up are on their way," I explained.

"A patronus?" Jethro frowned, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh," I flushed slightly, "Yeah, while I was in the UK I learned how to use a patronus to communicate."

"Really?" Jethro's eyes widened, "You can do that?"

"It's easier and safer, better for long distance, etc. I can teach you if you want, now that you have a wand again," I smiled slightly at him.

"Cool," Jethro nodded, "Does… Does Elena know?"

"No," I sighed, "I wish I had taught her. Wait!" I gasped. I pulled out my wand and waved it in the air. A mini version of Thailus appeared, and I whispered to him, "Find Elena. Tell her I hope she's safe."

Mini-Thailus nodded and flew off into the air.

Jethro watched me in amazement, "Yours is your dragon too?"

"Yep," I smiled slightly, "That doesn't happen for every rider."

"No, it means you're- we're- really close to our dragons," Jethro grinned, "So do you just tell your patronus what to say?"

"No, it's a bit more complicated than that, but it's like a muggle computer- once you program it to do something all you have to do is tell it to do that something," I frowned, "My mum loved computers."

"I was about to say, I understood that but why would you?" Jethro laughed, "Alright. Back home, then."

I was startled by his use of the word home but didn't push it as we flew over the skies.

In between bloodthirsty battles, we taught each other spells. They were all complex and powerful, and we found ourselves laughing over our own ineptitudes in carrying them out.

"No, no, Maggie," Jethro groaned for the millionth time, though he was laughing hysterically as I muttered the spell underneath my breath again and flicked my wand at the vase I was trying to destroy, "It's like _this_."

He reached over and pulled my wand hand into his, guiding it through the movements with a small smile on his face. I laughed, but that same supernatural ability had come back and his touch was like a taser.

I wanted to be his friend, I wanted to be best friends. But ever since I had overheard him it was like my body was screaming at me to run away as fast as I could in the opposite direction, he was going to make you uncomfortable, torn, helpless. He was a poison and I was not to indulge in it.

But he _wasn't_. He was just a friend, a friend who had feelings for me that he understood would never come to fruition. But the reaction was automatic. I couldn't turn it off, but I _wanted to_. I didn't want to flinch whenever he touched me.

His hand was callused and rough as he guided my wand hand through the movement, and when he dropped it he was grinning slightly, though looked mildly uncomfortable. The shock that had gone through me that time had been so strong, I realized that it was my body warning him away- he had felt it.

"Sorry," he whispered. We stared at each other, realization playing on both of our features. He realized that I knew how he felt, and I realized that this wasn't going to be simple.

"Um… I'll teach you more later," he muttered and turned away from me.

"We need to talk," I whispered.

"Later," he begged, turning to me with wide eyes, "I can't do that now."

"We have to," I insisted.

He groaned and looked at me desperately, "Please."

"I heard what you said to Dr. Tennys," I whispered. He groaned again and put his hands over his eyes as I whispered, "That's why I… ran away."

"I'm sorry. I have nowhere else to go, though, so until I find a place of my own I have to-"

"I don't want you to move out!" I insisted, "I like you… you're my friend."

"But, clearly, I can't even give you an effing _hug_ without getting _electrocuted_," Jethro moaned.

"That's unfair!" I shouted loudly. He looked at me in shock. I felt the fury of a dragon fill my being.

"We are friends! Close friends! I don't give a crap that you love me! Well, I do, but it doesn't affect our friendship as far as I am concerned. You aren't going to try and seduce me, are you? No!" I roared.

"Well, your magical systems don't seem to agree," he shrugged glumly, looking like his world had collapsed.

I frowned. I felt like I was fighting an enemy greater than Elisha and Lord Voldemort combined, an enemy inside myself. I leapt forward and hugged him tightly, squeezing him as I wrapped my arms tightly around his chest. There was a brief start of a shock but I forced it down with all the magical ability I possessed, screaming at myself, _no, no, no, no, NO!_ When I pulled back, Jethro's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"What did you just do?" he squeaked, his voice rather high pitched, his body as rigid as a board.

"I think I told my body to shut the f*** up," I smirked. He stood like that for a few more moments as I looked at the fingernails on my hand.

"So I can hug you now?" Jethro asked curiously.

"You can try. I at least know how to fight it if it comes up," I smiled warmly. He leaned over and hesitantly wrapped his arms around me. The electric pulse came through, but more like a ghost of what it once was, and I fought it back easily as I buried my face in his neck.

"Well then," his voice was strangled again, "Um… I'll just…"

"I have to make dinner," I let him off easy, walking down the stairs to the kitchen.

That night, I couldn't fall asleep. I kept hearing strange noises from the next room, and every time I sat up muttering to myself, "I should have taken off that spell _months_ ago," I realized I had, blushed furiously, and put my pillow over my ears, forgetting briefly that I was a witch.

Months of fighting went by, and we soon became a flawless team. It was like we had been born to fight together, the four of us. Thailus and Oscuro were quickly becoming best buddies and I felt a camaraderie with Jethro that went beyond boys and girls and evil villains. I wasn't feeling depressed and I feel like my cheerfulness was rubbing off on Neville, who also didn't sound despondent in his letters, though I didn't tell him why I'd changed or how Jethro felt about me.

We were in the middle of the prairie in Iowa, wild grass blowing about us, the sun high in the sky in the August air. The last book of the series about Harry Potter had just come out, and my children informed me dutifully that the author neglected to include me.

"That bitch," I laughed quietly to Jethro and Miss Olson, who laughed in agreement.

We were tracing a group of Unionists who were slowly taking over muggle towns and discreetly killing the residents. Jethro informed me glumly that now that he was no longer around, there was no one to discourage Elisha from going full steam ahead with the muggle-destruction part of the Unionist plan.

The wind picked up and I steadied myself against it, looking around wildly for any enemy. It seemed to whistle as it rushed through my hair and my fingers and the grass beneath my feet.

"Ahem," Jethro and I turned around abruptly to see a wizard standing there, a look of intense loathing on his face as he drew his wand.

"Forge," Jethro nodded angrily.

"You shouldn't keep coming back, Jethro," he hissed, "We will kill you. We alone know your true weaknesses."

"My weaknesses are different now," Jethro responded, "You have no hope of fighting me."

"I believe we do," the man laughed slightly, "We know you, Jethro. Yes, we know you, and we know why you would change, when you would change, _how_ you would change. Elisha is no fool," his wand was still raised as we all circled each other, dragonless in the field.

"Enlighten me, then," Jethro rolled his eyes.

"We know that you are lonely," Forge laughed, "She knows, Jethro. She knows you never really mated and she knows that you have no one aside from Oscuro in this life. She knows you would cling to human companionship if it came your way," and the man turned to grin at me evilly, his bright red eyes gleaming in the light of the sun.

Jethro's voice turned into a series of deep, angry growls and he began to edge forward towards Forge, "You. Will. Not. Touch. Her."

"But we've already touched her, haven't we?" Forge turned his smile to Jethro, "After all, we brought you to her, and there is no one in the world easier for us to find in the open than Jethro Rockefeller."

Jethro roared and slashed his wand through the air, a move that was parried by Forge, who continued to laugh in a way so reminiscent of Bellatrix Lestrange that I threw in my own curse, sending him off his feet briefly before he stood and threw another at me.

We dueled, curses flying between us, Jethro's fury becoming apparent with each raging curse. As none of our dragons were nearby, dragon mode was not entered, but we all got pretty damn close as our curses slowly transformed from being of the expelliarmus variety to the sectumsempra and even crucio variety.

"Why did you become attached to her anyway?" Forge laughed as he silently cursed us, red light zooming through the air, "You know she is already taken."

"It doesn't matter if I will never have her," Jethro responded furiously, "All that matters are her happiness and safety."

"You don't _mean_ that," Forge taunted, "You don't _really want_ her to be happy, that would involve her being with _him_, the one that got to her _first_, and away from you."

"She'd be safe," Jethro insisted, as I continued to fight as if I couldn't hear the conversation, "She would be safe and happy and that's all I care about. I hate to see her when she's depressed, when she misses him the most. It is the ugliest sight in the world."

"Ah, but as long as she's with you, you yourself are not depressed. Isn't that right, Jethro? And isn't it more important to take care of yourself?" Forge was grinning again as I tried desperately to make him collapse to the ground.

"Family is important," Jethro grunted as he shot a powerful curse at Forge, which he deflected with a grunt of his own, "Friends are important. The people we love are more important than ourselves."

"Then why did you let your poor, f***** brother die?" Forge laughed.

Jethro screamed and the two of them fought in earnest, curses flying between them so fast that Jethro pushed me out of the way and I took a step back in the field, unwilling to shut a curse of my own in case it hit Jethro. But suddenly, there was a pause as a temporary freezing charm hit Jethro and Forge turned to me, his wand slashing through the air as I blacked out and fell to the ground.

I opened my eyes some time later, my head thrumming in my ears, every part of my being aching. I looked up to see Jethro, multiple cuts on his face, looking down at me with the sun shining behind him and with the most terrified expression I had ever seen on his features.

"Maggie? Maggie, are you alright?" he begged, his hands on my shoulders.

"Yeah," I whispered, "Yeah I'm… well, no," I laughed weakly as my stomach felt like someone had punched it and my head spun when I tried to sit up.

"F***," Jethro moaned, waving his wand over me, "I don't have a lot of medical training- I didn't even finish magic school, much less start at the UDRA- I don't want to apparate you home- Thailus is on his way but-"

"It's OK," I whispered as I probed Thailus' mind, "You sent him a patronus?"

"Seems that complete terror gives one incentive to finally perform a spell," Jethro laughed glumly as he stared down at me, "I'm just glad you're awake- you had been passed out for so long I-"

"What happened to Forge?" I asked softly.

"He apparated away," Jethro spat, "I became even worse when he got you and he saw he wouldn't be able to catch me and fled. Coward."

"He's a typical slytherin," I soothed, "Don't worry about it."

"What house would you say I am?" Jethro asked curiously, "Wait, sorry, not the right time."

I laughed loudly, "I'm not exactly an expert, I was there for one year and didn't even go to the sorting ceremony. Jesus," I groaned as my side hurt intensely from laughing, "He better get here soon."

Jethro looked horrified and gently forced me down to the ground to lie down again, "Please, please rest."

"I think you'd be a Hufflepuff," I answered honestly, "You're loyal to the point of insanity."

Jethro laughed a little and looked at me with a mixture of relief and horror, "I thought you had died."

"I'm fine, Jethro," I smiled slightly.

"No, you're not," Jethro shook his head, "And Thailus won't be here for a bit longer yet."

"Well, I'll just relax here," I shrugged, wincing from the pain of the action. Jethro impulsively reached out and wiped the blood from my forehead, his touch a borderline caress that made me fight the electric pulses painfully.

"I don't want to lose you," Jethro whispered.

"I'm _fine_," I laughed again.

"You're _not_," Jethro shook his head, "And even if you were, you'll leave me some day."

"Not really," I whispered, "I'd always be here," I gently touched the area of his chest directly above his heart.

He didn't seem to be able to stop himself- he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. I couldn't control the electric pulse due to the shock and he was sent backward from me violently.

"Ah! Sorry!" he groaned, clutching his now bleeding lips.

"I'm sorry too," I whispered breathlessly, amazed by what I had just done, "Um…"

"I won't do it again!" Jethro groaned as he dabbed at his lips. Luckily, Thailus showed up at that moment, dissuading further conversation as we took off into the air.

More and more months went by without further surprising incident between us, though still fighting against the Unionists nearly to the point of death.

We were flying through the Rocky Mountains, soaring above the dragon territories, looking for Unionist circles. It was early November and I was freezing atop Thailus as snow gently fell around us.

Ahead of us, on a patch of mountains, there was a circle of fire and a supernatural singing. We looked at each other excitedly and dove towards it, Oscuro and Thailus roaring at the tops of their lungs.

The group broke out into screams as we landed in the center of the circle and I leapt from Thailus, spinning around and throwing curses every which way. The victims in the center were _this_ close from having been experimented upon and they looked at us with mixed relief and terror as I ran towards the Unionists, my lungs filled with screams of rage as I sent wave after wave of magical energy towards them.

The sky alit with fire as the dragons flew into the air and began to fight Oscuro and Thailus, who worked as a flawless team and managed to deal with twenty something opponents together. Jethro was taking on half of the humans, as was I, as I sent a wave of water above my head and sent it crashing into the Unionists in front of me, washing them away down the mountain, screaming.

I swallowed, trying to not think about the mass carnage I had just wreaked, as I turned to help Jethro. The remaining Unionists turned deadly and half the curses flying through the air were green, making me shiver with terror every time death wooshed past us.

One came very, very close to me and Jethro screamed out a terrible, soul-shattering, "NO!" and dove in front of me briefly. The curse missed both of us and we continued fighting, but I was shaken by what he had tried to do. When they were all gone and we were healing ourselves and the victims, I turned to him.

"You would have died for me," I whispered, "You were going to die to protect me."

"Yeah… I'm sure Neville would have done the same," Jethro shrugged.

Every time he said Neville's name it sent me into shock- not because he shouldn't have known about him, but because he said it without a hint of malice or resentment.

"Well…" I shrugged, "Before mating, yeah, but now it would be counter-productive, wouldn't it?"

Jethro continued to shrug in indifference, "I think he would anyway. I'm sorry, I saw him running out to defend you, that one time he came through remember? He did everything he could to protect you."

I nodded, remembering the incident with pain and loss, knowing that I hadn't really seen him since.

"Don't underestimate your mate," Jethro whispered, "Just because I am around."

"I know perfectly well that he would do anything- much more than you- for me!" I snapped, "I just don't think he'd try and _die_ for me. Do anything to stop me dying, yes. But dying himself would just kill me, is all!"

"Alright, alright!" Jethro raised his arms in the air, "I'm sorry!"

I sighed and helped Thailus and Oscuro tie the wounded, weak victim dragon between them to assist him in flying, unwilling to pursue the subject further.

And so it went on, and as 2007 turned into 2008 I realized with a shock that it was the year that it would be ten years since I had been separated from Neville. The depression was creeping in again at the edges of my heart as I tried hard to cling to my children, Jethro, and the fight.

We continued to fight in odd jobs, going around to basically every state in America, fighting the Unionist groups that would crop up or the occasional tough single fighter, whether it be Elphias, Forge, Tom, Cara, Gred, or some of the others that existed.

Elisha never showed up and if Jethro insisted that he knew her well I would have begun to believe she didn't exist.

The kids were growing to view Jethro as some form of parent even though I insisted that he wasn't, and there was nothing I could do about it. Nate and he had a bond that practically undermined my own with the kid and I knew he idolized him completely. Alice and he got along like peas in a pod, flying together after Alice finally bonded, sharing joy in the sky and the flame.

I was worried that they would compare Neville to him and find Neville to not be the same, though I knew he was going to be an amazing father and everything they had ever wanted.

Some days, I wanted to scream at Nate, who couldn't remember the incident, that he had actually _met_ his father and hadn't wanted to even look away from a picture of him for a time. But telling him that would involve explaining that Alice had never been that lucky, and I didn't want there to be fights or feelings of inferiority between them.

I worried as they turned nine that the war had only two years left to finish before they went to wizarding school- and, on this side of a decade, two years seemed like a very short and impossible time period.

A month before the ten year anniversary, we were given an assignment: back in the old cabin territory, Elisha was rumored to have taken camp. We were to go and stake it out, try and find her, maybe even ambush her.

"You could be finished, Maggie," Dr. Tennys urged at my initial unwillingness to go along with it, "Don't you want to go home?"

"God dammit, you said when Jethro didn't need my guarding I would get to go home, but he's been free for over a year and I'm still here!" I roared, "But fine. I'll go."

So we crept along through the giant trees, quiet and with our dragons far above the canopy, wet rain sliding down the leaves and onto our heads as the sounds of the birds and the animals filled our ears along with the crunching of the branches beneath our feet.

We paused to rest for a moment, having traveled on foot for a long while, just staring at each other. I was amazed at how I felt for this man, so different than how I had always hated him. I was amazed at how I had come to rely on him.

The depression was still creeping at the edges of my heart, but every time I was caught in the field of battle, or my kids amazed me with their intelligence and magical ability, or Jethro laughed with me and beamed wider than he had ever really done since his brother died, it was fought down again.

"What would happen if you never went back?" Jethro asked softly as we rested against the trees.

"I don't know," I sighed, "For all intents and purposes, I should go catatonic, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah, but you aren't even really depressed most of the time now," Jethro looked at me curiously, "I guess it would wait until your kids were out of the house."

"God forbid. I think I'd keep them around to keep me sane," I laughed.

"Do you… Do you really think you could handle raising them alone?" Jethro asked softly. I looked at him, frowning.

"Are you offering to help raise my kids?" I whispered.

"I'm offering to be whatever you need me to be in the event of your permanent residency in this country," Jethro murmured in response, "I have no one else to serve anymore."

"I'm not going to use you, Jethro," I responded softly.

"It's not using me if I volunteer," he parried, walking over to me and looking down at me, his arm resting against the tree above my head.

I looked up at him and swallowed at the look in his eyes, "Jethro…"

"Yes?" he responded, his voice gruff and deep.

"I can never love you like that," I whispered.

"I don't need you to love me," he insisted, "I just need you to need me."

I swallowed again, "Neville…"

"Can't be here for you. It's not his fault, nor yours, but you've been petitioning for nearly ten years. Kingsley and Neville have been petitioning. I want it to happen, I want you to be happy, but I also… am skeptical," Jethro whispered, "And it's foolish to keep yourself from some happiness."

"I don't want to cheat on him," I whispered firmly. Jethro smiled slightly.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," he whispered. I swallowed and wanted to argue with that statement, loyalty to my fiancée filling my heart, but his head was leaning down and I had to brace myself so I wouldn't electrocute him again as his lips pressed against my own. I didn't return the kiss, too scared and too ashamed to do so, but I didn't push him away either. He pulled away and watched me sadly.

"Alright, alright, I'll give up," Jethro sighed.

"Just… don't push anything on me," I murmured, "Give me time. Lots of it. I love Neville, I can only love him, and anything else feels… wrong. I'm sorry."

"I'm filled with patience," Jethro closed his eyes, "Alright." He backed away from me and we continued walking through the forest.

The days passed on without even another mention of his proposition and I was hoping that he'd forget about it for a while. I wanted to run to Neville, run across the ocean, and throw myself at his feet to beg for his forgiveness and for him to degrade himself enough to be with me still.

We could smell burning leaf litter and we both knew that we were close to _someone_; dragon riders just didn't set the forest on fire most days. However, Jethro wanted to scope it out before we got too close, and he didn't want me to come with him.

"Unionists get a marker in their blood when they join up," Jethro explained quietly as we paused in the forest, "So my presence wouldn't be alerted to like yours would, it's not like the markers are person-specific. That way I can check to see if Elisha is there before we try to fight- I feel like we should get your old team down here if she's here just because she _is_ that powerful."

"They're in California, they would get here quickly enough," I agreed. I looked at him, terrified, knowing full well that he could be heading into grave danger, "Be safe."

"I will," he smiled slightly, "I always am."

I rolled my eyes but threw my arms around his neck and held him tightly, unwilling to let him go into danger and to lose him.

"I'll be fine," he laughed, "Calm down."

I pulled back from him with watery eyes and he gently held my arms, leaning down and kissing me for the third time. I didn't fight it, nor did I return it, unable to do so from base instinct. He pulled back, sighed sadly, and walked away.

I waited for a very, very long time for him to come back before I went after him- the sun passed from directly overhead to almost setting. My heart pounded in my ears and my palms sweated as I approached the smell of burning leaves, knowing Thailus had dived to very close to the tree tops.

I entered what were the remains of Unionist circle. I covered my mouth with my hand and ran into the middle of it, spinning around, looking around madly.

_Thailus? What happened to Oscuro?_

_He flew into the forest because Jethro called him and he didn't come back-_

I collapsed to the forest floor as I read words burnt into the ground before me.

_Traitors are the first to die._

I held my face in my hands as the catatonia crept up. I couldn't move, I couldn't think. I tried to picture my children, a mantra in my head: Nate, Alice, Nate, Alice, Nate, Alice, Nate, Alice, Nate, Alice, Nate, Alice; but it wouldn't work. The depression covered my heart like a black thing and I fell to the floor as Thailus grabbed me in his claws and gently placed me on his back and I started to lose feeling, hearing, sight.

_No, no, no, no, not him, not him, not him, not him- please not him- no, not Jethro- first I lose Neville, then I lose him- no, no, no no… _

_No…_

And all went blank.

-Thailus POV-

I carried her back to the house, feeling through our link the eventual takeover of the inevitable: eventually, every separated mate goes completely numb until they are given a glimmer of hope. It happens to dragons and humans alike, men and women, newly mated and old couples. I flew back calmly, roaring for my child to go and get her partner, carrying my poor collapsed human back to her home and her children.

Alice was screaming upon our landing, screaming, "MUMMY! MUMMY! MUMMY! NO! NO! NO! UNCLE JETHRO, MUMMY, _NO!_"

Nate was completely, utterly silent, like he had been as a baby- mute.

Miss Olson helped bring her inside as I curled up in the lawn next to the house, watching her window as she stared out of it, her eyes glazed over, feeling through the link as all she thought was _no_.

It would take all of my strength to keep her alive.

AN: Yeah this chapter gave me MAJOR writer's block for half of it; I really only knew the ending in the forest ahead of time.

Things start to turn around sometime in the middle of next chapter, I promise.

In the meantime, thank you Royal shadow1, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, Bubbles of Ebil, Sexii-chan, and lilyllama for reviewing! You guys are why I forced myself through the writer's block, seriously. I really hope I can finish part two before I move. I will respond to all of your reviews soon!

As always, four reviews needed for the next chapter, though more are encouraged! Sooo REVIEW!


	32. Ch 13: Hope

Ch. 13: Hope

_Is there a God tonight_

_Up in the sky_

_Or is it empty just like me? _

_A place where we can hide_

_From the night_

_Where you are all I need_

_~ Life Less Frightening by Rise Against_

-Thailus POV-

Two weeks went by when I was the only conscious member of our soul. People came and went- Kylie, Ms. Olson, Dr. Tennys- but none were able to get through to either Maggie or Nate. Maggie continued to stare out of her window, my head on the balcony ledge, our teal eyes meeting though hers were unseeing.

It wasn't the first time she had been catatonic, but I feared that this time no one would be able to snap her out of it.

Alice ran through the house, taking care of her mum and trying to talk to her twin, with no avail. She would often cry to Illy over the whole affair, myself and Emralda watching helplessly.

Nate at least continued to function, but he simply would not talk. He responded to the words of others, he could see and hear and feel and kept himself alive without having Alice spoon feed him, but he simply never spoke a word. The closest to active communication we got from him was a small nod of the head when Alice asked if he would prefer cereal over toast for breakfast.

Dr. Tennys knew the importance of getting the family over there and worked overtime, apparently not even sleeping according to Miss Olson. Kylie helped bathe and dress Maggie, amazed at her Ragged Anne temperament, making sure to not mention how the outside war was going to anyone.

Emralda was on a hunting trip and all of our unable-to-look-after-themselves children were chirping and laughing below me as I continued to stare into Maggie's unseeing gaze, trying to convey to her that all was not lost, she had plenty to live for and all she really had to do was just _wake up_.

I heard popping outside that meant that someone had apparated to the street outside the house. I wondered, briefly, who could be coming to call, as Kylie was on a mission and Miss Olson was already inside and Dr. Tennys had just come by yesterday.

I could hear distant voices that sounded argumentative and I was about to send Illy to go and tell Alice to leave Dr. Tennys alone when I could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. I peered closer to the window, watching curiously as the door opened to the room.

There, looking ten years older and very tired, was Harry (freaking) Potter.

I felt my eyes widen at the sight of him, "_Harry!_"

"'Lo Thailus," Harry nodded before sitting gingerly on Maggie's bed, turning her so she'd face him. I watched as her eyes widened slightly and I could feel outer-world cognition slowly return to her, though dulled.

She sat up and blinked multiple times, staring at Harry's face in complete shock. Finally, her mouth opened voluntarily for the first time in two weeks as she whispered, "Huh?"

-Maggie POV-

"Hi Maggie," Harry Potter grinned at me lopsidedly, "Sup?"

I glared at him as feeling and thought returned throughout my person, "If you have to ask, you'll never know."

"Right, sorry," but he was still grinning slightly, "So. Explain."

"Explain _what_?" I asked angrily, wondering how in hell he was here, "If you ask me, I think _you_ have to explain."

"Right, well, I'll explain after you do because I asked first," he nodded, "So. War, children, catatonia, explain."

I swallowed and glared at him, looking at his green eyes furiously, "Kinglsey told you about them?"

"Well, yes, he did. But obviously, I have told no one else," Harry rolled his eyes, "Though they also gave me your funky hand magic tattoo when I came over here," he held up his left hand, which had a bright red mark on it.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"I asked you a question first, come on now, play fair," Harry rolled his eyes. I glared at him for a few more moments, suddenly aware of how extremely hungry I actually was.

"Neville's been in a right state," Harry continued, "Obviously, he's been out of school for a while now, so there's been nothing to distract him, and before your letters had been so cheerful and happy he was OK, but you haven't written to him in a while and your last letter was brief, cryptic, maddening. I think you owe him something. Hell, I think you owe him a _shit load._"

I swallowed and looked away, "I did it for him."

"You can't just tell me that. I need the whole story, beginning to end," Harry sighed.

So I told him. I started at the beginning, when I discovered I was pregnant, and continued through the whole story, until I became catatonic at losing Jethro. My voice was hoarse and I felt like I was reciting a well-known play, story, drama that I didn't need to put on once again.

He had a look of deep sadness and pity on his face when I finished and he nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry, Maggie."

"Ha!" I laughed, "Thanks."

"I understand how you feel," he whispered. I looked and glared at him.

"Right," I spat, "I believe that, sure."

"There is no shame in what you are feeling-"

"I don't want to talk about how I feel, all right?"

"Maggie, suffering like this proves you are still a person! This pain is part of being human – "

"THEN – I – DON'T – WANT – TO – BE – HUMAN!" I screamed, feeling my fists ball up and I whirled to face him, dragon steam pouring out of my ears. I didn't any more. Being human meant falling in love with Neville and getting as close as I could without actually doing so with Jethro and wanting to die when I lost them.

Harry looked moderately startled as he stared at me and my fuming.

"I DON'T CARE!" I continued, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH. I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE – "

"You do care," Harry responded calmly, his voice very quiet and shocked sounding. I fumed at him for another moment.

"I DON'T WANT TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN!" I screamed, "I'M DONE!"

"No, you're not," Harry smiled wryly.

I threw my hands up in the air, slamming them down on my legs, "Why?"

"Because it's in your nature to care for those around you, you can't control it, nor do you actually want to."

"And _how_, pray tell, do you know _that_?" I spat.

"Because I said the exact same thing that you just did before once in my life, and that is how I act," Harry continued to smile slightly.

"Exactly what I said?" I rolled my eyes.

"Exactly. About how you don't want to be human, nor do you want to care and that you want out. I have been there. You move on, you keep going, you keep calm and carry on-"

"Well you're British aren't you?" I growled, "I can't carry on."

"I thought so, too, but I forced myself onward."

"Why, dare I ask, do you feel you understand me?" I hissed.

"Let's see," Harry stood up to face me, the same height as me, staring at me in mock annoyance, "Parents died as a result of Voldemort, so I grew up pretty damn alone. I find my long-lost Godfather _isn't_ a murderer and spend a few nice years with someone who is like a parent. Suddenly, he's killed too and I don't have anyone again. I watch person after person I care about die, and yet I keep going and defeat the bastard behind their deaths. I didn't give up."

I glared at him for another moment, "You still don't understand."

"I willingly separated myself from Ginny that year you were there to protect her, just as you are protecting Neville now. Maybe it wasn't the right decision or was overprotection, but I still did what I thought was right," Harry continued.

I sat back down on my bed and my face fell into my hands, "I can't believe he died."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered.

I looked up, "Do you realize how hard it must have been for him? I do. Every day. And every day it haunts me, the fact that I could be anything he needed me to be except what he _did_ need me to be. The fact that I couldn't love him the way he loved me, even for a _second_ before he died. And yet, he sacrificed his happiness and peace of mind to help me and the UDRA fight his old team, despite his unrequited feelings- I can't… I can't understand… That type of devotion I just-"

"I am not really all that surprised by it," Harry smiled mournfully, "I've encountered that type of love before."

"You have?" I whispered.

"Why do you think Snape switched over to our side?" Harry laughed glumly. I felt my eyes widen greatly.

"You've never told anyone about that…" I whispered.

"I've told Gin, Ron and Hermione," Harry paused, "But, upon my request, they haven't repeated it to any of the others."

"And?" I asked breathlessly.

"Well, you know from what I told Voldemort, that Snape loved my mum," Harry paused thoughtfully, sitting next to me on the bed, "Turns out, they had been best friends as kids, and he had loved her even from then. Unfortunately, they stopped being friends when the influence from the Death Eater crowd he hung out with took over and he accidentally called my mum a mudblood. But he still loved her. He overheard a prophecy made about, well, me- the person who would defeat Voldemort- and told Voldemort, thus leading him to kill my parents and try to kill me. Unfortunately, Snape realized what he'd done and was terrified that he had sentenced Lily to die. When she did, he completely switched over, and worked the whole rest of his life to make sure I survived to defeat Voldemort."

"Wow," I whispered, "Wow. D'you think… if he hadn't screwed up or if there had been no Voldemort…"

"He might be my dad," Harry laughed, "Though, I don't think I'd be myself, would I?"

"Probably not," I grinned, "That's so brave of him."

"Yes," Harry nodded, "That's why Gin and I named our second son Albus Severus."

"Good name," I agreed, smiling.

"Really? Some people think it's too wordy," Harry grinned.

"I named my kid Nathaniel Frank," I pointed out.

"True enough," Harry smirked, "Apparently, though, he trusted your mum enough to tell her, which is strange, because he never told anyone."

"It's cause of who her family was," I sighed, "I owe that for my life. Snape saved mine on countless occasions."

"He was fond of you," Harry whispered, "Really and truly."

"How d'you know all this?" I asked softly, "And what do you mean, fond?"

"When he died, he gave me his memories," Harry paused, "And he viewed you like the daughter he never had."

I felt a tear trickle down my cheek, "Oh Snape… I feel so bad for him. I feel so bad I never stuck up for him when the DA bashed him. I feel so…"

"I know," Harry sighed, "I feel bad too- bad for so many things I thought about him. He was a git to me, there's no denying it- but if some bloke got to marry Ginny, I'd probably be a git to their kid too."

I laughed and nodded, "Definitely an understandable feeling."

"Jethro was really nice to your kids, though," Harry commented thoughtfully.

"Jethro never met Neville," I whispered, my voice breaking, "And those kids showed him kindness he had never truly known in his life."

Harry nodded, watching me with that same thoughtful expression, "You did love him."

"I couldn't have, I've told you-"

"But you did. I don't think you riders and dragons understand the connection right, because I see it in your eyes. You loved him," Harry paused, "I believe you love Neville more, and would have chosen Neville, but you still loved Jethro. I think what this connection is, is that it masks or ensures the dominance of your first love."

I shook my head, but something stirred in my heart that I tried to ignore, "Doesn't matter."

"No," Harry murmured, "It doesn't, does it? Well. I suppose I should be properly introduced to your kids now, eh?"

"Now, now, you still haven't told me why you're here," I snapped back.

"You've been catatonic for two weeks!" Harry raised up his arms, "Dr. Tennys couldn't get anyone else to come over, but he finally managed to persuade the Wizengamot to allow me to travel here to help fight in your war, as it _is_ going badly and I _am_ pretty damn good at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Of course, that's what he told the Wizengamot- in reality, he needed _anyone_ to come over who you were friends with, so you could have someone try and talk sense into you or give you hope."

"Oh," I whispered, "But…"

"I sent a message to Kingsley the instant he told me about your condition, because they had to get Kingsley to give me the secret of your home and your kids anyways," Harry paused, "He thinks the court might break soon, but there's no promise."

I nodded, "Alright. What will you do until we hear word back?"

"What I was sent here to do- to fight. I don't have a dragon, though," he added thoughtfully.

"You can fight with me and Thailus. And you _can't_ fight until your tattoo cools in a week," I pointed at his red hand, "So you'll just have to stay here and help me take care of the kids."

"Sounds good," Harry shrugged, grinning, "Though, be glad Ginny had Lily _before_ I left, or I might have been annoyed to be here."

"Aww, what does she look like? Obviously I haven't received a letter about it," I laughed.

"Red hair and hazel eyes," Harry smiled slightly, "She's precious, wait, I have a photo." He pulled out a small picture of a baby with bright red hair that blinked up at the viewer.

"Aww," I beamed at Harry, "Daddy's little girl."

"Definitely," Harry tucked the photo back in his pants' pocket, "And Ron and Hermione just had Hugo. He had brown eyes, but the same red hair."

"Nice," I laughed, "Is Rose still-"

"Scary smart? Yes. Ron insists the only thing she's inherited from him are red hair coloring and blue eyes," Harry beamed. We walked down the stairs and Alice ran over.

"MUMMY!" she screamed, throwing her arms around me and looking back at me happily, "Mummy, oh thank _God_ you're alright, Uncle Harry told us about how you've done this b-before and only Daddy managed to talk you out of it-"

"You told them?" I asked Harry angrily.

"Only that you became like this when your mum died and when the Carrows tortured you. I didn't tell them how they tortured you," Harry whispered.

I stared at my daughters curious, innocent face and realized that she knew more about war at the age of nine than I had at the age of seventeen, "I should tell them what happened someday."

"Soon, I think," Harry agreed, "So, Alice, how have you been since I went upstairs?"

"Fine. Nate's still not talking," Alice groaned.

"Wait, Nate hasn't been talking?" I demanded, probing Thailus' mind and shocked by what I found.

"No," Alice shook her head, taking my hand, "C'mon."

We walked into the family room and Nate was sitting on the carpet, quietly playing with Luna, tears streaming down his face and his lips pursed together. I sat in front of him, reaching out and gently smoothing his messy hair.

"Sweetheart," I whispered. He looked up at me and his tears flowed even faster, though he refused to speak.

"Sweetheart, I know how you're feeling," I whispered, "I miss him too. A lot. But I'm OK now, I promise, and you're going to be OK too, alright?"

Nate scooted forward and pushed his face into my stomach, his tears soaking my shirt but his vocal chords still silent.

"Uncle Jethro is in a better place now," I whispered, gently running my hand from the top of his head to his neck, smoothing his hair and repeating the action again and again, "He's happy, with his brother now. And one day you'll see him again too."

Nate's body shook with his silent sobs as he continued to cry.

"He'll always live on," I murmured, pulling the child back from my stomach and placing my hand over his heart, "In here."

Nate nodded, but still sobbed, looking up at me with puffy red eyes.

"I understand that you don't want to talk yet," I continued, kissing his forehead, "I understand that you don't want to put too much trust in others, whether it be Uncle Harry or anyone else, because you're worried you're going to lose them. First Grandpa and Auntie Elena, and now Uncle Jethro," _and subconsciously your father_, I added glumly, "But it'll be OK. I'm still here, I promise. Uncle Thailus and Aunt Emralda are still here. And one day, we'll go back to your father. I promise."

Nate frowned, still looking skeptical of the idea, and rested his head on my arm as he continued to cry silently.

"That doesn't give you an excuse to never speak again. Do you think that Jethro would want you to remain mute just because he was dead? Your talks, your conversations, your understanding meant the world to him," I smiled and squeezed his arm, "The world. And how would he feel if he knew that you were never going to talk to anyone again? How do you think he would feel if he knew that no one else, including your mum and sister, was going to have the comfort of your complete acceptance again?"

Nate sniffled.

"He'd feel awful, sweetheart, and probably would try to come back to life to be honest," I laughed, "But he can't. So do Jethro a favor- live on for him, in his memory. Can you do that?"

Nate nodded, looking up at me and wiping his nose off with his sleeve.

"You don't have to talk yet," I whispered, "But I'm asking you to try, OK? I'm asking you to move on because _I'm_ moving on. We'll do this together. I promise."

Nate nodded again and I helped him stand up, him slipping his small hand in mine and I squeezing his.

"Do you recognize Uncle Harry?" I asked him calmly, pointing to the man with the unkempt hair and faded lightening scar in front of us. Nate nodded, still mute, and waved.

"Hiya Nate," Harry beamed, "You look just like your mum. Your eyes are remarkably green, though. They match mine!"

Nate nodded, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face. I knew what he was doing. He didn't want to trust someone else just to lose them again.

"I have to talk to you and your sister," I murmured quietly, "About what happened to me while I was in Britain. Because Harry didn't tell you everything he should have, he made it sound like I just collapsed for no reason at all. Come on," and I reached over to grab Alice's hand. We walked back upstairs to my room, Harry following, and I sat down on the bed. The kids sat down on either side of me and I began my tale, with my dream about Neville that I hadn't known was a dream, reliving every second that was appropriate for nine year old kids- simply explaining in base terms what rape meant, what the torture meant, and how Neville had been there for me every time. When I finished, they both watched me in awe, though Nate still hadn't spoken a word.

"You're really, really brave mummy," Alice whispered, "I would never be able to handle that, what that awful man did."

"No," I nodded, "Which is why you have got to defend yourself sweetheart. I am lucky- I have met many brave, kind men in my life who want to take care of me and not hurt me, but that isn't the same everywhere. You could date a boy who wants to hurt you, and no matter how much you care for the boy, don't _ever_ let him take advantage of you- it's not worth it, _he's_ not worth _your_ pain. Alright?"

Alice nodded, "I'll never let that happen to me, mummy."

"That's my girl," I whispered, kissing the top of her head, "You're a dragon rider now. Just breathe fire on his nuts."

Alice giggled and Nate winced appropriately next to me, and I kissed the top of his head as well.

"Nate would never do that to anyone though," Alice affirmed.

"I brought him up right," I beamed at him and Nate smiled slightly back.

"When we meet dad," he whispered with a very hoarse and gravelly voice, "Will he be mad about Uncle Jethro?"

As happy as I was about the fact that Nate had finally said something, I was upset by his question. I had no idea how Neville would feel about him- hopefully, understanding of the whole situation.

"I don't know, sweetheart," I murmured, "But no matter how mad he might get at me, we'll work it out. I promise."

Nate nodded and his feet swung beneath the bed. Alice jumped up, waving her hands in the air and dancing around.

"I think I'm gonna be in Gryffindor!" she declared, "Just like daddy and Uncle Harry and all the rest!"

"Aunt Luna was in Ravenclaw," Nate mumbled. I felt tears prick my eyes again and hastily wiped them away.

"Still!" Alice replied, dancing about, "And I'll be the best Gryffindor there ever was! I'll help us win every house cup!"

"I can't help but encourage that," Harry grinned, "Your father will be the head of your house, then."

"Sweet!" Alice giggled, "It'll be totally awesome. And I'll play seeker, just like you Uncle Harry!"

"Probably not as a first year though," Harry patted her head and she beamed at him.

"No, but I will! And I want to be an Auror too," she puffed out her chest, "In the new UKDRA that Mummy'll set up. And I'll carry on the family name! Me and Illy!" Alice laughed, "And when I finally find a mate, we'll _never_ be split up by _anything_, because I'll just say, 'My mummy won't allow it! Nor my daddy, nor my Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and all the rest! So _ha!_'"

I found myself laughing behind my hand and Harry was grinning too at the child's enthusiasm.

"I wonder who it'll be?" Alice asked thoughtfully.

"Someone who can keep up with you, to be sure," Harry chuckled, "Someone with uncontainable enthusiasm as well."

"Of course!" Alice beamed, "Do you want to meet my dragon Uncle Harry?"

"Sure! Let's leave your mum and Nate alone," Harry lead her down the stairs and I could hear her chattering voice all the way down. Nate turned to me.

"Mummy, I really miss him," he whispered, "My chest aches."

"Mine does too, sweetheart," I replied.

"You've been separated from daddy for _ages_-"

"I'm talking about Jethro," I countered. Nate's eyes widened but he nodded.

"He loved you so much!" Nate furthered, "He told me, before he left, that he would do anything for you."

"I know," I whispered, "And I miss him deeply. I wish I had been able to be more for him than I am."

Nate nodded, "I don't know if I can let anyone in like that again."

"I'm not asking you to be buddy buddy with Uncle Harry or anyone else," I sighed, "But can you try- _please_- to get along with your father? I'm already… I'm worried enough about how he'll react to everything. The last thing I need is for you to hate him."

"I'd never hate dad!" Nate insisted, his eyes as wide as saucers, "But what if I lose him too?"

"You never will," I whispered, "Your daddy will fight until the end of the earth to rescue you if you were in danger."

"He doesn't even know me!"

"Just the fact that you're his son means he'd do it, sweetheart."

Nate nodded, "If I ever fall in love, I want to be like Jethro or Daddy. I want to love her and protect her no matter what, even if she doesn't- or I don't think she does- love me."

"Then any girl would be helpless but to fall in love with you," I beamed at him, ruffling his hair, "And whomever you get is the luckiest girl on the planet."

Nate smiled slightly and rested his head against my arm, "Are we going there soon?"

"I think so," I whispered, "But I don't want to jinx anything."

"And will the war be there too?"

"No," I answered firmly, "No, it won't. You and your sister and I will be very, very safe there."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"I'm gonna keep Luna forever," Nate whispered, and I stared at him kindly, "He's the last bit I have left of Jethro."

"You should," I agreed, "That is one special toad."

The next week flew by in a haze of confusion and uncertainty. Harry left every day to go and talk to the Wizengamot through the floo, explaining everything to them- and Kingsley took off the Fidelius Charm that covered my children, though kept it over the house. They seemed to be getting closer to letting me back in, but still I did not let my heart hope. I had been disappointed too much before. My children, on the other hand, had never hoped before- and were ecstatic now at the prospect of freedom, other children to play with, and eventually going to Hogwarts. Ecstatic didn't cover how they felt about meeting their father. For that, they were soaring on clouds, even though Nate didn't speak much to anyone but me, and me only in private.

But the week continued on and the War outside continued despite what was starting to look like a family inside my home. The death toll mounted, and I heard from my friends each day but waited with bated breath, terrified of their deaths. The unionists were gathering in strength and now that Oscuro and Jethro were no longer fighting against them, nor I and Thailus, they were unstoppable.

When Harry had been with us for one week- and I was realizing that we got along as well as a brother and sister would, something that we both enjoyed as I had never had a brother and he no siblings at all- we were summoned to Dr. Tennys' office.

"You will be allowed to go back to the UK in one week's time," he began, staring at us both, "The ten year anniversary of your coming back to the US."

I felt my hands fly in front of my mouth and I sank into a chair, sobbing furiously. This was it. I was going home.

"But," Dr. Tennys sighed, "We need your help. _Both_ of your help, before you're allowed to leave."

I looked up, anger filling me.

"NOW WHAT?" I screamed.

"There is a battle raging," Dr. Tennys moaned, "Down in Nevada. It is horrible, awful. We need all the fighters we have. We will not make you stay past the week mark, but we ask that _both_ of you help out down there before you go. Please," Dr. Tennys begged, his eyes desperate, "Please. I'm worried that we'll lose this war when you're gone, Maggie."

I stared at him, pity filling my being, "Alright. We'll fight."

"Excellent," Dr. Tennys nodded, "Pack up your things and then fly out, the location is very near Las Vegas, you won't be able to miss it."

We both nodded, glum looks on our faces, as we left to go and prepare.

AN: Sorry for the relatively short chapter, but honestly, everything that had to happen happened. One more Neville-free chapter to go!

Thanks to Royal shadow1 (who's written an HP fanfic of her own, I don't have a lot of time to check it out right now but I encourage all of you to read it while you wait for me to stop packing and update,) Bubbles of Ebil, IloveNerds543, and Sexii-chan. I will respond to your reviews soon!

As always, four reviews are needed for the next update, but I'm enjoying the fact that they're coming in in twenty-four hours so I can update a chapter a day- can we keep it up so I can get part 2 finished before I move perhaps?

REVIEW! Let's keep it up guys! REVIEW!


	33. Ch 14: Explosion

Ch. 14: Explosion

_Frail, the skin is dry and pale_

_The pain will never fail_

_And so we go back to the remedy_

_Clip the wings that get you high_

_Just leave them where they lie_

_And tell yourself, "you'll be the death of me." _

_~ Remedy by Seether_

AN: I love that song- listen to it, it's almost like the theme for the whole series

We flew over the American countryside, and I thought idly that this would hopefully be the last time I did so. Thailus was weary, I was weary, and Harry sitting behind me wasn't exactly happy about flying into a huge battle with dragons, of all things.

Dr. Tennys had been right- we _did_ recognize it immediately once we had seen it. Dust clouds were everywhere and there were so many dragons flying about I thought that there _had_ to be at least _one_ muggle who had seen this mess. There were bodies of humans and dragons littering the ground, blood staining the yellow sand and dirt red.

Thailus roared and we dove into the middle of the throng, people screaming at the sight of him, scattering in the air. Thailus dove and spun around in the air, Harry holding tight to one of his back spikes for dear life as we ran headlong into a bright purple dragon with a woman who had just screamed, "THE CONVERTER OF THE TRAITOR!" at my appearance. Harry whipped out his wand and I did the same and as the dragons fought each other, we threw curses at her on her dragon's back.

"YOU PERVERTER!" the woman screamed at me, a jet of light zooming past my ear. Harry parried it with an Expelliarmus directly at her and her wand flew through the air and landed into his hand.

"The only people who are corrupt are you lot," I hissed, throwing out a beam of magical energy and she toppled to the ground. Her dragon raced after her briefly before going limp as she hit the ground and falling down to it himself. Thailus roared and we spun around to a new attacker, a dull green dragon with a wild looking man riding atop it. Thailus dug his teeth into the other dragon's neck and they went spinning through the air, claws slashing and tails whipping about. The diamond end of the other dragon's tail came out of nowhere and Harry ducked quickly to not have his head bashed off.

The dragons dove together towards the sand and crashed into it, particles flying everywhere into the air and around us, clogging up the sky and choking my lungs. I scrambled off of Thailus' back as the two animals fought each other, rolling about in the sand. Thailus would fight to get the other dragon off of him and pin the other dragon to the sand, before the other dragon would fight likewise and eventually flip them around again. At the same time, their claws would be slashing, their roars filling the air, blood splattering as they'd bite and scratch each other.

Harry and I ran away from the battling monsters and faced our opponent, a man with a long black beard and long black hair. He sent curses at us and we fought back, beams of light filling the air as we circled around each other, the man easily able to keep up with our curses and attacks even though he was fighting me _and_ HARRY POTTER.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" I finally managed to interject, and the man's wand soared through the air and landed in my hand as Harry sent a well-aimed stunner at his heart. The man crumpled and his dragon stopped fighting, Thailus pushing him off and flying up into the sky, spinning and sending fire every which way as Harry and I turned around to find a girl with red hair and a tall dark man run up to us.

"MAGGIE! HARRY!" Kylie screamed, throwing her arms around me and looking at Harry Potter in shock, "I'm so glad you're here- I heard rumors you'd be coming- I'm glad you're feeling better- come on!" she dragged us alongside Richard and we sprinted into the middle of a group of duelers, spells flying everywhere as we ducked and dodged to avoid being hit by the wayward ones. Colored light filled the sky and I had to continuously spin around to handle all the opponents about me.

Leslie and Ezra and even Kita were all there, wands slashing through the air as a crowd of Unionists circled around us and we faced them, back to back against each other.

Tom appeared then, his long blond hair reminiscent of Lucius Malfoy, and I faced him. His amount of hand magic was terrifying as beams and balls of energy were thrown back and forth between us, the light exploding on contact with the other's light. Sound waves filled the air with deep, otherworldly booms and the sun beat down with so much heat I felt beads of sweat form on my forehead.

We continued to fight with our wands whipping through the air as we were almost completely isolated from the other fighters, ducking and spinning and slashing through the air. I held to my wand tightly just in case it accidentally slipped from my sweaty hand as I violently waved it around with each successive, silent curse.

"Who will protect Maggie this time?" Tom taunted as we continued to duel, me growing more exhausted by the minute as Thailus above fought three dragons at once, surrounded in the air and spinning and diving to escape them.

I sent a burst of energy forward and it hit him squarely in the chest, sending him backwards onto the sand below as I walked forward and held my wand in front of his face.

"I don't need protection," I hissed before waving my wand and stunning him, his dragon flying down and roaring at me before Thailus managed to come forward and ran into him, rolling the dragon away and the two fighting violently in the sand.

I spun around and was met with another attacker, a woman with violently pink hair, and we began fighting each other with the spells flying through the air again. She was joined by a man with bright green locks and I fought them off with difficulty, cuts appearing on my legs and arms as they each silently used sectumsempra.

Harry appeared at my side to help and we fought them off together, moving backwards and forwards with light filling the air. We spun around each other in circles and I felt exhausted.

They both paused in their shield charms for one short moment and Harry and I screamed in unison, "EXPELLIARMUS!" Their wands flew through the air and one landed in my hand and the other in his as I waved my wand again and both fell unconscious to the ground.

"Yeesh," Kylie ran past me with her wand out, running over to a pale yellow dragon in the distance that was fighting without her, "Maggie, you got to stop using that spell, it's too nice."

I laughed and looked at Harry who laughed with me and we turned to watch Thailus run past us, as fast as a cheetah and running in the fashion a cheetah would run, roaring as he bounded across the ground. He ran straight into a pair of wyverns and all three tore and bit each other, screaming loudly and angrily, biting into each other and fire igniting the ground.

The fire spread to us and Harry and I leapt out of the way as it coursed through the desert like a monster, spreading in a straight line but so tall it was as if it were reaching for the sky. I pointed my wand at it and screamed, "AGUAMENTI!" but no matter how much I and Harry tried to douse the blaze it just grew higher and higher, and the screams it caused as it reached unaware fighters sent chills through me.

I turned and saw a man spreading the fire around, laughing as his wand sent out spurts of flame towards all around. Harry flicked his wand towards him and shouted, "STUPEFY!" and he crumpled, but the flame lived on, eating everything in its path.

We might have been riders, but we weren't immortal, and we couldn't handle being touched by such an angry and violent burst of flames. But dragons could. Unionist and UDRA dragons moved together towards the flames, roaring and screaming as they dove and crashed into the blaze, sliding along it as if surfing on a wave. They rolled, growled, and skidded along the flames, their body mass and the weight of the sand they kicked up managing to quell the flames until all that was left was burnt ground.

One would think it would be hard to tell who was a Unionist and who was a UDRA, but each and every Unionist was wearing matching robes in crimson and silver, while no UDRA member matched another. It was the dragons who were having trouble, and without them matched clearly to a master in the heat of battle there was much hesitation before attacks happened, and even with that hesitation there was still the accidental attack of friend on friend. The only dragon who seemed to be known to be a member of the UDRA was Thailus, as he was clearly the biggest one present and a recognizable dragon at that. Every time he turned around there would be another opponent in front of him, roaring his or her head off and attacking ruthlessly.

In fact, because he was the only recognizable UDRA dragon, almost every single Unionist dragon went after him first, even a very small (horse sized) wyvern that looked like he would have rather just gone home. Thailus was becoming so overwhelmed above my head that the UDRA dragons came quickly to his defense, and the battle lines were drawn again, mainly the UDRA fighting alongside Thailus and the Unionists fighting to tear him limb from limb as I helplessly fought the witches and wizards on the ground below.

I turned rapidly to see a Unionist- a man with tanned skin and buzzed cut black hair, staring straight at Richard and he at him. They weren't fighting, just staring at each other with wands raised. I ran forward towards them despite Harry's protests.

"Richard!" I shouted, walking up to him. I was shocked to see the man he was refusing to fight was none other than Gerald, whom I hadn't seen since our days at the Academy that was so close to our location.

He looked at me and his eyes widened even further, his mouth open as he turned his head back and forth between us.

"I… I… I…" he whispered, his eyes looking torn and his wand lowering.

"I thought you just agreed with their ideology? I didn't think you actually would help them fight and kill your old friends!" Richard shouted angrily.

"I don't want to kill you, I- they only managed to free me from that prison on the condition I helped fight this time over- you have no idea how awful it was I-"

"Nothing is worth selling out your friends!" Richard screamed. I tried to calm him down but he just glared at me and turned back to Gerald, raising his wand.

"I didn't ever sell you guys out! I only gave them information from the rest of the UDRA, I never told them where your cabin was I _swear!_" Gerald shouted.

"By selling out the UDRA you sold out us!" Richard roared.

The battle continued to rage around us and I watched Richard corner Gerald with terror on my face. Kylie ran over, her face filled with shock at the sight of Gerald, and she tried to reach Richard.

"Rich, Rich, _please, please _don't do anything rash!" she cried, "He's our friend, _Richard!_"

"HE IS NO FRIEND OF MINE!" Richard yelled, "NO FRIEND OF MINE WHO WOULD SELL US OUT FOR A STUPID IDEOLOGY!"

"RICHARD!" Gerald, Kylie and I screamed as he raised his wand in the air and slashed it. Gerald crumpled to the ground and a dragon fell from the sky and landed with a loud thump, sand flying everywhere upon the impact.

Richard fumed for a few more moments before his chest's heaving slowed down and his eyes widened and he realized what he had done. He fell to the ground and covered his face with his hands, his body shaking with sobs as Kylie knelt next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, her face as pale as a ghost. I walked forward and closed the lids on Gerald's eyes, tears streaming from my own as I turned and saw Harry running towards us.

"What happened?" he demanded, looking at the situation with shock.

"Richard killed Gerald," I whispered softly. Harry's eyes widened and we turned to see Thailus appearing out of nowhere, picking up Harry and I in his claws and throwing us on his back before doubling back to the battlefield.

"The ground fight is getting too dangerous!" Thailus explained over the rush of the wind, "You only have one more week, we're not taking any chances!"

"OK!" I agreed as we spun in midair and dove towards another dragon opponent, Thailus' maw enclosing around her neck and pulling her through the air and turning, letting go at the proper moment to let her spin helplessly through the air and fall to the ground in a heap.

Another dragon, with a rider sitting atop him, came flying over and Harry immediately shouted, "IMPEDIMENTA!" and the dragon and rider stopped in midair with the strength of the spell. Harry looked moderately impressed with himself as I sent a burst of energy towards the two, watching as they fell to the sand below.

Three dragons and riders cornered us, roaring their heads off and approaching us from all sides in a triangle formation. I turned to Harry and hissed to him, "Hold on tight!" Harry nodded and grabbed one of Thailus' spikes as he crouched on top of nothing in midair and sprung up higher into the air as if jumping from a trampoline, lengthening out and flying as fast as he could towards the sun above our heads.

He continued to fly faster and faster towards the sky as the three Unionists chased from below, reaching higher and higher altitudes as Harry behind me let out a small whoop and I laughed quietly. Soon, Thailus reached altitudes where Harry and I felt like we were about to pass out, and he made a vertical u-turn in the air and dived away from the enemies, towards the sand at breakneck speeds so that I and Harry both started to scream, though I had definitely been through this before.

Thailus pulled out of the dive just in time, zooming back up towards the sky as Harry groaned behind me. The enemies, however, were not ready for this and they all crashed into the sand below as Thailus evened out and flew around for a while to calm my and Harry's stomachs.

"Merlin's Beard," Harry groaned, "I feel like I'm about to pass out."

"It'll pass," I soothed, "Just relax."

When Harry seemed to be in his right mind again we flew back into the battle. A very large purple dragon zoomed at us with a rider atop him, and he and Thailus began to fight tooth and claw as Harry and I tried difficultly to shoot curses at the man, streams of light filling the air again. Suddenly, the purple dragon's tail appeared out of nowhere and I was swept from Thailus' back, falling rapidly to the ground and hitting the sand awkwardly, my leg bent in a weird shape. I cried out in pain and didn't try to stand up for a moment, looking above me in fear for another attacker, to only see Ezra running over and gingerly helping me to stand, leaning on his shoulder. My leg felt broken in multiple places.

I turned to the sky to see Thailus, Harry and the purple dragon and rider continuing to fight, their claws and teeth flashing in the sunlight as blood seemed to scatter everywhere as they teared at each other. Harry was holding his own, spells flying between the two humans like a muggle fireworks display, and I even saw bursts of energy go back and forth. He was figuring out how to do hand magic on his own and I was amazed.

"Is Elisha here?" I asked Ezra angrily as we ducked out of the way of a falling dragon.

"Not that I know," Ezra sighed, "She never shows up to these stupid battles."

"I want to end this damn thing!" I roared. Above, a burst of energy coming from Thailus and Harry sent the Unionist off his dragon and plummeting into the sand, collapsing below with a sickening crunch. It dawned on me how lucky I was that I hadn't broken my neck as his dragon fell beside him. Nearby, another dragon and human fell shortly afterwards though they seemed to have no opponent.

Ezra waved his wand over my legs and I could feel them heal slightly and I broke away from him, seeing far off in the distance Kylie battling with two tall, angry looking Unionists and hearing her cry out in pain. I ran forward, my feet pounding against the ground as I sprinted across the sand and towards my friend, the only person who had known everything I was going through for ten full years.

I kicked up the sand as I slid forward and threw my wand out in front of me and screamed, "EXPULSO!" A huge explosion came out of my wand and the Unionists were blasted off their feet as Kylie backed away quickly. I stood there, heaving, staring at their crumpled forms with contempt in my eyes.

Kylie ran forward to me and hugged me, whispering, "Thanks."

"What are best friends for?" I asked cheerfully, "Let's go." We ran together, sprinting through the sand and kicking it up around us as we reached Richard and Ezra fighting side by side again. Thailus and Harry were still kicking ass above our heads, another pair of dragon and rider falling to the sand below as Thailus bellowed in triumph.

The four of us clustered up together and continued to fight the Unionists that circled around us, shouting and shooting curses around and holding each other's hands whenever we could. My hair constantly fell in front of my face and my face, already so scarred, sustained several new ones.

The battle raged on for days. Whenever I came close to exhaustion Thailus would dive down and pick me up from the throng below, flying above everything and allowing me to sleep. Whenever he himself became exhausted he would mysteriously disappear from the battle, and I would be put to the test in my ability to fight without him by my side, stressed but continuing on with the face of Neville Longbottom in front of my eyes, smiling at me encouragingly.

I sent a patronus to my children often to let them know I was alive as the screams of death surrounded me and filled my ears and reminded me that I might not be around in five minutes to send yet another message to them.

Harry was coming into his own, fighting the Unionists like the badass I knew he was, almost scaring me with his ability to take on rider and dragon on Thailus' borrowed back. I had a funny feeling he would make an excellent rider and I made a mental note to try and introduce him to some dragons at some point.

The dust and sand of the desert seemed to explode around me every time I fought, filled with fury as I was. I couldn't contain it. If it wasn't for these _bastards_ I would already _be with him_ and I would still _have my best, best friend_.

Then again, I probably would never have met my best, best friend. But the point still stood that they were the reason he was dead and gone now.

My energy was depleting. Harry looked like he had when he was going off to face Voldemort and willingly get himself killed. Kylie's hair was wild and frizzy and Richard had a scar across his eye that made him look like the dark lion from my children's cartoon movies. Ezra and Kita were beautiful together, two calm and serene people with such adoration between them that they worked together in fighting the Unionists, a flawless team; yet whenever one of them was in the slightest bit of danger you could see the fire in Ezra's eyes and the water in Kita's, the animagus that she was.

The fact that she transformed into a shark was amazingly beneficial in a fight with dragons and riders. She couldn't transform out of the water, but her powers relating to water came out in droves- she could make waves appear from sand and wash over all, decreasing the powers of every dragon present upon contact and even slightly decreasing those of riders.

Sometime late at night- you lost track of time in the battle- I was facing Tom again. Even though I had tied him up and sent him with a portkey off to the UDRA, he had managed to make his way back, and we were dueling for a second time, both of us visibly exhausted and almost unable to continue on.

"Poor little Maggie," Tom taunted heavily as my wand slashed fruitlessly in the air at him, "Without her mate and without her man-whore."

I slashed again and cut his wrist, which he quickly healed with a smirk.

"Your spell," he laughed as he tried and cut me as well, which I parried, "Your spell has been so useful to me!"

"I wish I had never said it!" I screamed, thinking angrily of all the wounds that had been inflicted upon our side by that awful Sectumsempra, "I wish I had never spoken it aloud!"

"But you did! And I have been perfecting it! I have delved deeper into the dark arts than Cara or Jethro ever dared! They were never in it for the power, for the evil. Cara didn't want to delve into dark arts, only unite with dragons and never be a weak human again- and Jethro wanted to kill all who lived when his brother died! But I, and Elisha- we aren't only interested in Uniting, oh no. We are interested in the _power_, the _dark arts_, that which only the Dark Lord himself managed to delve deeper into! And now, you have finally met your match, Maggie Johnson, the one who strings them all along only to slap them in the face with her cruelty!"

"I was never cruel to Seamus, and I was certainly never cruel to Jethro!" I shouted angrily, thinking regretfully of how I should have returned his last kiss at the very least, "You have never known love-"

"I love only my leader," Tom grinned maliciously, "I have done with her what your Jethro couldn't bring himself to do-"

"She doesn't love you, you prat," I spat, "She loves how powerful you are and how willing you are to sacrifice everything for the pursuit of evil!"

"You haven't even _met_ her!"

"I can fight her without ever having to," I laughed, "Simply killing you will be good enough."

We continued to duel without words being exchanged as the light flew between us, green and red and blue and gold and indigo light coloring the night sky as we turned around each other in the sand and hot earth.

"I wonder what your mate will say when he finds out how much of a whore you are?" Tom asked maliciously as I felt my energy drain slowly from my body.

"I wonder what your master will say when she finds out you're dead?" I spat back, "Probably nothing but slight regret at losing an easily replaceable fighter, nothing more!"

"I can proudly say that I am the reason you no longer have Jethro," Tom grinned again.

"YOU KILLED HIM?" I screamed, fury and grief entering my heart.

"I am the reason he is gone-"

I sent out a burst of energy from my hand and my wand and sent him flying through the air, landing on a nearby rock with a sickening crunch. I fell to the ground and held my forehead, my entire mind spinning as I tried to recollect myself.

I couldn't believe that it had been that scared, terrified teenager who eventually killed that determined, righteous man (if previously misguided in his righteousness.)

Harry was already napping on Thailus' back as I crawled onto it, painfully aware that it was Tuesday and I would return to Neville on Friday, if I survived until then.

As I curled up and slept on Thailus' back, I delved into the world of dreams.

I was standing in the middle of a calm and quiet British beach. The water was splashing against the rocks as the usual cloudy grey sky above remained unchanging. I shivered slightly and tightened my jacket against me as I stared down at a rock below me.

I couldn't read the writing on it, but I knew it had a name and dates. I thought, briefly, that it must have been Jethro's headstone when I looked over and saw the man in question walking over to me.

He pulled me into his arms and I cried into them for no reason at all. But when I looked up, he kissed me like he had done three times in real life, and I kissed him back now, not wanting to waste this or to hurt him _again_ like I had done so much in real life, for I was painfully aware that this was a dream.

It was the strangest, surrealist dream I had ever had- I don't even think I was in the world of the living, though I had thought it was the British beach. I was in some limbo between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and in my dream I even began to think idly that it wasn't a dream, though it had to be- I was asleep for hours.

When I awoke, I felt tears pour down my face as Thailus continued to circle around the Nevada desert. It had been a dream, I knew it had been, because if it hadn't been a dream I had just cheated on Neville in the worst way possible- but it was a dream- it had to have been a dream because people just didn't travel between the world of the living and the world of the dead when their eyes closed. It just wasn't done.

I felt heat creep to my cheeks and I thought of Neville only, of every heated moment I had ever shared with him ten years ago now, but a tiny little voice in the back of my head hissed angrily, "Harry was right. You love him too."

I wanted to sob because it made me question my feelings for Neville, because everything I had ever learned about my fate as a rider said that I wouldn't have fallen in love again with _anyone_, but I couldn't do that because I knew I loved Neville, knew I would die without him, and we had 'moments' and I went catatonic without him and I tried to shock Jethro away from me and I _knew_ I loved Neville- so Harry was right. We had gotten it wrong all this time, but how? Dragons and humans had been bonding for thousands and thousands of years-

Suddenly, below us, a dragon the size of Thailus had appeared out of nowhere, roaring up at us from the ground below. It was purple and violently so against the yellowing sand below her. Thystia and Cara had arrived and were pissed off.

Harry was stirring behind me and I shook him awake as Thailus dived out of the way of Thystia charging at him to give Harry time to adjust. I was still reeling in my head.

I knew I love Neville- there was no one else I could think about and everything that had ever happened between us pointed to this.

I knew I love Jethro- because that dream (because it had to have been a dream,) had explained to me that I had simply bottled the feelings up deep inside, but I did love him- I loved his bravery, his loyalty, and his kindness despite everything that happened to him and everything that he had once been.

So that meant one thing- the connection didn't mean you couldn't fall in love again. Perhaps only that you wouldn't ever fall _out_ of love with your first love and that your first love would remain strongest- to ensure that any children produced would have precedence- or that the family would remain stable in the face of temptation- or… or… or…

It didn't matter anymore.

Jethro was dead, and I was going home, and it was all a very moot point.

I'd have to tell Neville, though. I owed him that. I owed him an explanation and even if he wanted to figuratively 'leave' me, I'd handle it, because I deserved it. All I'd ask is that he helped me with the children-

The children he was going to learn about-

Oh God.

Harry was ready to fight and we nodded at each other and Thailus spun around in midair to no longer be fleeing from Cara and Thystia, but to be facing them head-on.

The dragons collided in midair with a deafening crash and ripping sounds immediately filled the air as they tore at each other violently. Thystia's maw was around Thailus's and her teeth were tearing through it angrily as his foot claws were scratching at her stomach and tearing through the sinews.

Cara screamed at us and beams of light narrowly avoided us as we attempted to curse her in return, but it was hard at the position the dragons were fighting in, and they tore away from each other and spun in the air to face each other horizontally. We began to fight each other, maneuvering around the wings of our dragons as the air was colored green, red, gold, blue and purple. Her face was determined and angry and unlike Tom, she didn't waste any time talking or distracting me, and Harry and I could barely keep up with her succession of curses and energy blasts.

The dragons continued to fight each other vigorously and they spun through the air, careening through the main battle, spreading the crowds as people below began to scream again at the sight of two dragons tearing each other limb from limb. I pictured Neville's round and adoring (probably not for long) face as I continued to try and curse Cara into oblivion. Thailus was wounded in multiple places and I could feel his pain through our link, but he continued to fight, picturing Emralda's green and loving eyes in his own face as we spun around in the air and Harry did marvelously in holding to Thailus' back with only his knees.

I was serious about introducing him to dragons.

We fought for long moments, the curses crackling in the air, the force of the battle between us scaring me and seeming to send Harry into a stony and determined silence. All the battles below slowed or even stopped as they looked up and watched us in amazement.

The dragons continued to spin around each other and Thailus roared in fury as he sustained a broken leg that I felt acutely through the link, and countered it by smashing his tail into Thystia's wing. She flew lopsidedly now, but still managed to fly, and even though Cara had tears in her eyes from pain she continued to fight.

As I ducked from under Thailus' wing to shoot a curse at her side, she managed to avoid it by Thystia's own tail coming out of nowhere and smashing violently into my leg hanging off of Thailus' side.

The bones in my leg cracked and splintered angrily and I screamed a very loud and pained scream as I felt my leg bones practically turn to dust. Thailus roared in fury, momentarily paused with pain as well, as I clutched to his back to stop myself from falling fifty feet to a sure death below. I bit down on one of his back spikes to stop the screaming as the pain shot up my leg and made me want to have Bellatrix Lestrange be standing over me with the cruciatus curse again.

Cara looked triumphant from Thystia's back but if she thought she could take on a dragonless human she was wrong- at least where Harry Potter was concerned. His wand continued to slash through the air violently as energy poured from his hand and the air was still alight with curses and anger and energy.

He slashed his wand through the air and Cara was thrown from Thystia's back, falling down, down, down, spinning through the air helplessly as her wand flew into Harry's outstretched hand. I watched, still biting down on Thailus, in amazement as she finally hit the hard earth below and it became red with her blood as her body laid spread-eagled and bent every which way on the ground.

Thystia fell like a rag doll after her human, limp and lifeless, crashing to the ground and making it shake and crack beneath her dead form.

Thailus roared in weak and pained triumph and Harry raised his arms in the air, grinning slightly at me. I grinned back through the pain, realizing I'd need to down a bottle of Skele-Gro for this one.

The UDRA lags below started cheering at the tops of their lungs as every Unionist present either apparated as their dragon flew away or left obediently on their back, going away so quickly that not one UDRA soldier tried to hold them back. It had been days upon days of fighting and none of us really wanted to put in the effort of capturing anyone else.

Elisha had lost her top three people, in one way or another, and nothing was left now but to defeat her.

I could go home in peace.

AN: Yes, she does love Neville. All her confusion will be explained later on, in part three. She goes home in the next chapter! Woohoo!

I am deeply enjoying our nice little schedule here because it means that I will _just_ finish part two in time for move in. Thanks guys, it really means a lot! Special review thanks go out to Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, Royal shadow1, Bubbles of Ebil, Sexii-chan, and IloveNerds543. Your review shall be replied to soon!

Four reviews, as always, are needed for the next update, but within twenty-four hours would be great so my schedule keeps up, AND more are always encouraged. The hundredth reviewer gets a HUGE INTERNET HUG and a SPOILER/HINT/FUTURE DELIO of their choice in their review reply that they aren't allowed to repeat to anyone. LOTS of stuff gets revealed in Part 3, so it won't really be spoiling everything to reveal something from one of the categories I'll give (The Prophecy/The War/Snape/Maggie's heritage/Maggie and Neville's kids (all of them)/Future Deaths, couplings and births from other people/Other Secrets.) Please don't use that as an excuse to not review first, though... Fine. Ninety-ninth and hundreth reviewers each get a secret, how about that?

REVIEW! I LOVE YOU ALL! REVIEW!


	34. Ch 15: Fire's End

Ch. 15: Fire's End

_Can you feel me when I think about you? _

_With every breath I take? _

_Every minute no matter what I do_

_My world is an empty place_

_Like I've been wandering the desert for a thousand days_

_Don't know if it's a mirage but I always _

_See your face_

_~Year Without Rain by Selena Gomez and the Scene_

I came home with two days left, about, until we had to apparate via the customs office. It would be the first time I had set foot there in ten years.

Downing a bottle of Skele-Gro was never a nice prospect, and the first of the two days I spent lying in bed, groaning in pain as all the bones in my right leg had to regrow. Harry went back home to the UK to tell Neville and get him ready for the arrival of myself and the twins, but upon my request he (I hoped) would not tell Neville yet about the children.

Alice and Nate, therefore, spent that first day packing on their own in their rooms, and Miss Olson had a terrible time trying to keep them quiet and calm. They were both so excited I could sense it in my regrowing bones as I tried to sleep off the potion in my room. I was unable to sleep with their loud, high-pitched and happy chatter.

I tossed and turned with the pain in my leg as I overheard their petty arguments over what they actually needed, from clothes to books to toys to everything under the sun. Nate refused to leave behind Luna and I was just about to yell, somehow (probably with a patronus) at Alice to leave him alone about it when Miss Olson interfered. Of course he shouldn't leave behind Luna; it was his last connection to Jethro.

They were currently arguing over whether or not to take the bulk of their summer clothes, as it hardly ever got as hot in Britain as it did in DC, and I was becoming so annoyed with their constant chattering I had half a mind to get up from the bed when I remembered that I couldn't walk on either leg at the moment and stuffed the pillow over my ears again.

Thursday afternoon I was finally able to move about the house again, but on muggle crutches, and Miss Olson smirked at the sight of me as I stumbled down the stairs and around the house.

"Now you know how it is," she laughed calmly. I glared at her briefly before smiling lopsidedly.

"I owe you a lot for these past years, Miss Olson. First off, you made sure my kids were safe, and for that I owe you the world. Second off, you made sure Jethro never escaped when it was impossible for me to be here, and even though he's dead now I'm glad he managed to stay around long enough to change for the better. Third off, you allowed for there to be something unchanging in this house for my kids- the one bit of stability. And you did it all in a wheelchair," I continued to smile, "Thank you."

"It has been my pleasure, though I must admit I am glad to be going to my own home and finally retiring. Though, two things are very curious here," Miss Olson smiled in return to mine.

"What?"

"You've never asked for my first name, nor why I am in this wheelchair."

I looked at her in shock, "I thought it would be impolite to do so."

"You're quite right, but you're the only person I've ever met who has managed to go seven years not only knowing me, but being around me quite a lot, without asking. Your children haven't asked either, but they are kids and accept the fact that my name is Miss Olson and that I'm in a wheelchair rather readily. Jethro asked, but of course I laughed at him and never said," she frowned at me, "But you- you've never asked."

"Well… if you're volunteering the information…"

"My name is Ellie," she smiled slightly, "Not a name to be paraded around these days."

"No, it's not," I laughed a little.

"And I'm in this wheelchair because when I was a child, I was attacked by a werewolf, but it wasn't the full moon, so I was only paralyzed," she motioned, "I don't usually tell people this because most witches and wizards wouldn't accept the fact that I wouldn't fully transform, and ostracize me."

I nodded, "I know someone who was also attacked but not at the full moon, so I believe you. Plus, no werewolf goes seven years without a transformation."

"There is that," she smiled, "I bonded with my dragon because she gave me back the ability to move on my own- _and_ accepted me without question."

"As good of a reason as any," I nodded, "Thank you. For everything."

"You are most welcome. I hope you finally find happiness back home," she grasped my arm and wheeled herself out of the house and into the street outside.

I was already mainly packed into two suitcases, so I spent the rest of the day helping my children finish packing into each of theirs. There was a lot of laughing and throwing of clothes and two hysterical instances when Luna where was nowhere to be found and Alice managed to retrieve her from the top of the bookshelf or from under Nate's bed.

I realized, as we all collapsed to the floor laughing hysterically when Alice accidentally opened up her bottle of ever-lasting-bubble-solution and a huge bubble encased Nate's head and I had to put it out with magic, that I was exceptionally close to my children, despite all the times I hadn't been there because of the war. I knew that as long as my children were with me, I'd never have to worry about being alone.

We slept all in my room, the suitcases around the bed as the two of them curled up next to me. Well, I say sleep- I was awake for most of the night with anticipation and nervousness, my heart going at breakneck speeds. That morning, Nate and Alice confessed to having trouble sleeping as well.

Alice was completely ready at the bottom of the steps, sitting on her suitcase and watching the other three intently. I was in Jethro's old room with Nate, the first time either of us had been in here since he died.

"Anything you want to take with you Nate?" I asked softly, looking around at the place of so many fights, so many revelations, so many memories. It smelled like him, like ash and earth.

"Don't think so," he replied, equally softly, "He didn't have many things."

"No, he didn't," I agreed, squeezing my son's hand, "He was happy at the end, though."

"Yes," Nate looked up at me and smiled, "I think so, too."

He hugged the pillow on the bed and walked out. I kissed the pillow softly, inhaling the ash and earth smell, before gently placing it back on the bed that would gather dust for eons to come. I followed my children and took their hands, mentally saying goodbye to Thailus before he would fly over. I waved my wand over the luggage and they disappeared to the Customs office before us, before spinning in the air and apparating with my children at my side.

We arrived and kindly Edgar, who was still there after all these years, smiled at me warmly.

"It is very, very happy for me to see you go, Maggie, and I mean that entirely with kindness," he smiled. I beamed back and he stamped our passports and sent on our luggage with a wave of his own wand as I took my children's arms again. Both looked at me excitedly.

"This is it, kids," I whispered, "Let me talk to him first, alright? Just sit in the room when we get there until we come and get you."

"What if he's upset?" Nate asked quietly.

"I'll sort it out, but it's _not your fault_, understand?" I urged, "It would never be your fault."

Alice nodded in understanding and Nate squeezed my arm in fear.

"And Alice, _please_, please try and not talk his ear off into oblivion. And Nate, I know you'll be scared- I understand, sweetie, I do- but try and talk, please? Just say hello," I urged. Both of them nodded and I went over my script for the occasion in my head over and over as we spun in the air again and appeared in a small, well-lit room.

The man there wasn't one I recognized and he stamped our passports without ceremony or comment as we walked out into the adjacent room where our suitcases were. Alice sat down on hers and Nate set Luna down on the one next to his, sitting on his own.

"I'll be right back kids," I whispered as my heart raced at ramming speeds in my chest, myself very aware of the fact that the love of my life was in the next room. Alice nodded with a smile and Nate hugged me tightly. My heart continued to pound in my throat and I stood up, painfully aware of the fact that I was still limping and definitely looked a lot more scarred than seven years ago.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump_ my heart went in my ribcage, slamming against my sternum as I tried to bring myself to open the door. My hand was shaking, my palms were sweating, and my mouth was dry.

"Mummy, you can do it!" Alice hissed encouragingly.

"I know," I whispered, but my voice shook upon speaking.

"Don't be scared, Mummy," Nate murmured kindly, "Don't be scared."

I turned to look at them again with tears in my eyes that I hastily wiped away, "I wouldn't have survived these past ten years without you two. I love you."

"Love you too mummy!" Alice replied cheerfully.

"I love you lots, mum," Nate beamed slightly. I laughed shakily and took a deep breath, turning back to the door again and trying really hard to not vomit as I turned the door knob and opened it, stepping outside and closing it slightly behind me.

I walk outside looking at the floor, still painfully aware of the fact that I was limping. I stared at my trainers for a long time as I was walking before I looked up and my eyes met his.

They were so brown. I had missed that. I had missed his chocolate brown eyes. My heart continued to pound in my throat and my hands started to shake even more madly. I couldn't tear my eyes away from his face as his gaze met mine. I think I felt a huge burst of flame erupt between us and I had no idea what I had ever even though about someone named Jethro.

I had to touch him. I had to feel every inch of his skin underneath mine and never forget the feel of it. I had to be complete wrapped around him until we fused into one living thing. I sprinted forward as well as I could, limping horribly, trying to get to him quickly, then and there, as fast as I could, right then.

I jumped into his arms and he wraps them around me and we were spinning around with the force of our embrace, me sobbing at the contact, clutching tightly at his back and pressing myself as close to him as I can. I squeezed my legs around his waist and I didn't ever want to leave.

I deeply breathed in his scent from his neck and looked up, looking straight into his eyes for another moment before kissing him passionately, reveling in the feel of his lips on mine, gasping in happiness at the renewed contact, wishing that it would never end again. I kissed him again and again and again, wanting to fuse with him, never wanting to forget the feel of his lips on mine. My fingers were in his hair and tangled up in it properly, his in mine, and I knew that my heart would be fine after all.

His lips pressed to mine one last time before he pulled back and looked at me, his eyes filled with such love that I thought I was going to melt into a puddle on the floor. I pressed my forehead to his and held his face in my hands so that I would never have to look away from it again.

"I love you I love you I love you I love you," I moaned, wanting to impress that upon his and my own brain, knowing that there could never have been and never could be anyone else for me than this round-faced, scruffy man before me with the eyes filled with love. My voice shook and I knew that the force of my emotions and his lips pressed to mine again, so soft, so loving, so right.

"I love you too," he laughed, his voice so welcome and deep and warm, "Oh God, I love you too." I couldn't help but kiss him, wanting to feel him over me, wanting to hear that voice in my ear for the rest of my life.

I pulled back from him and buried my face in his chest, overcome with so many feelings that I couldn't help but sob, and sob loudly as he rubbed my back and cried silently above me. His height still shocks me after all these years and all I wanted was for him to lie down next to me and stare into my eyes for the rest of eternity.

My heart started to beat again and it drummed even faster, now that I was painfully aware what had to happen next. I ignore greeting the rest of the people present, there would be time for that later. I had to do it now or I would have no more excuses.

"I have to show you something," I whispered, wishing to keep the shaking out of my voice. What if he didn't want them? He still wanted me, that was obvious, but what if they changed his mind? I couldn't handle him rejecting our babies any more than I could have handled him rejecting me.

We held each other's hands gently and I marveled at the warmth of his as it enveloped mine. We walked back to the door where my children were waiting, and I took a deep breath before opening it, squeezing his hand so he wouldn't be able to run away from us, from his family.

We turned the corner and there they were, my babies, Alice hissing at Nate as per usual. I could instantly tell that Nate was upset and wanted desperately to ask him what was wrong so I could fix it. I had a funny feeling that Alice wasn't helping much with whatever she was saying. I refused to let go of Neville's hand, unwilling to look up at his face.

"Kids," I whispered, and his hand hasn't left mine, but I haven't looked at his face yet, as much as I needed those eyes and that smile.

Alice looked up and her smile was extraordinarily wide, her boundless enthusiasm showing through as per usual. "Yes, mummy," she said, "He _does_ look just like me, you're right."

I wanted to groan but I managed to only let out a sigh, "Alice… every time…" I composed myself, referring to the script I had planned out ages ago and now knew by heart, "That's Alice Melinda Johnson-Longbottom."

"But I just go by Alice Longbottom, daddy," Alice added, "Granddad always said mummy was just terrible at picking names, mine is much too long…"

I had to cut her off before she continued to rail and completely derailed my own train of thought, still unwilling to look up at my love's face, "And he is Nathaniel Frank Johnson-Longbottom…" I was proud of my names!

"But he just goes by Nate Longbottom," Alice finished for me, clearly unwilling to be usurped from the position of speaker, "He doesn't talk a lot. He's very shy. Mummy says he's loads like you."

Nate was still watching his shoes as they swung beneath him and I could see tear drop stains on his pants. I wanted to help him so bad, but I knew I had to finish this for Neville.

"Kids, this is daddy," I finished, squeezing his hand tightly, wishing he would say something now.

"Come _on_ mummy," Alice sighed, not allowing her father a word in edgewise, "We figured that out, he looks just like the picture _and_ you're holding his hand _and_ I look just like him," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Alice," I scolded, anger bubbling at the surface of my heart, "Please, be nice just this _once_ for mummy…"

Alice shrugged, "_Nate_ isn't talking and you told him to." She had a point as she continued, "Why should _I_ be the only one to follow the rules? No one believes Nate and I are twins," Alice continued, turning to Neville, "But I tell them we have to be because we were born on the same day, and mummy hasn't seen you since before we were born."

I groaned and held my face with my other hand, wishing to disappear into the floor as Neville remained unresponsive.

"And mummy told us once she can never have just one baby because she's partners with Uncle Thailus and dragons have many kids at a time, so the fewest she can ever have is twins," Alice paused, "oh seriously Nate, aren't you _ever_ going to talk?"

My worry that he wouldn't be able to trust his father pierced through my heart until he finally mumbled to his shoes, "Mummy I've lost my toad."

Neville finally responded too, he laughed loudly before covering his mouth with his other hand. I breathed a sigh of relief and finally helped my son. I realized with a jolt that this was his most prized possession and to lose Luna would destroy what fragile composure he still had after Jethro's death.

"Nate," I breathed, relieved by Neville's responsiveness but still terrified for my son, "Where did you see her last?"

"She was just here, she definitely came here from the States but I can't find her anywhere mummy!" he was hysterical as he said this and I knew he was repeating in his mind that he couldn't lose his last link to Uncle Jethro. Neville moved forward, kneeling in front of his son while still holding my hand.

"What's your toad's name?" he asked softly. Nate looked up and straight at Neville's eyes.

"Luna," Nate mumbled, "I'm always losing her and it drives mummy mad." Yes, because if you actually lost that toad I didn't think you'd communicate with anyone in the outside world again!

"I'm sure she's here somewhere," Neville reassured calmly, "We'll find her." He immediately started to look around everywhere, beneath all the luggage, and I turned to Alice and hissed at her for talking too much and out of turn and ruining my plan. Neville went behind Nate's back and smiled slightly, his hand still in mind, his other hand suddenly holding a bright green toad that he placed in his son's hands. Nate's face lighted up and he looked up at his father with a large, contagious grin.

"I had a toad too when I was your age," Neville soothed, a smile on his face, "His name was Trevor. I was always losing him."

Nate giggled, in a way he hadn't since Jethro died, and nodded while hugging Luna to his chest. He then wrapped his arms around Neville's neck and I immediately start to cry with happiness. He was giving his father a chance! Neville turned back to me after finishing the hug and smiled at me and I cried harder. Alice ran up to her father and threw her arms around his legs and now I could see that Neville was crying as well.

"Hiya daddy," Alice greeted cheerfully, "I'm really glad to be home. And I love you."

"Me too," Neville grinned and I couldn't imagine the joy in my heart belonging to me, "I'm really glad you're home, and I love you very much." He squeezed my hand and I snapped my fingers so the luggage would follow us. Neville hoisted Nate and the toad into his arms. I realized quietly as I held Alice's hand that I finally had my family again.

We reentered the welcome hall and everyone there- all my friends, my family- gasped in shock, except Harry, who grinned at me encouragingly. Alice let go of my hand and ran forward to the crowd, introducing herself to everyone and talking eagerly to a boy with blue hair and a girl with blonde hair.

I could hear Nate whisper in his father's ear, "I love you daddy." His lips pressed to his forehead and whispered, "I love you too." Nate jumped down, clearly unnerved by having to do so, and ran over to his sister and the two kids their age, talking to them happily. Neville turned to me and kissed my forehead as I wrapped my arms tightly around his stomach.

I wanted to start sobbing again but I couldn't as Ginny Potter ran up to me and threw her arms around me despite Neville's constricting hold on myself.

"MAGGIE!" she sobbed into my ear, "I'm so glad to see you again- I thought you would have died over there- and you have _kids_- why didn't you tell anyone? And you're so scarred- what was your war even _like_- I'm so…"

"I'd like to explain everything to my fiancée first," I whispered quietly and Neville held me tighter.

"Right, right," Ginny nodded, "Sorry, I just- so confused- well you can't explain yet, we made reservations at the Hog's Head, the whole place is just for us tonight- we're having a party to celebrate you coming home- I guess you can't live in Neville's flat with two kids? There's a house in Hogsmeade I think-"

"Ginny!" I laughed, pulling her back from me and grinning at her, "Calm down! A party's fine, if Neville can wait that long for an explanation," I looked over at him and he nodded.

"Good!" Ginny nodded, "OK, well, how are we going to finagle this-"

She began to talk to Hermione, who hugged me quickly before continuing the discussion, and I ignored them in favor of hugging Ron, Harry, Seamus and everyone else who was there, before turning back to Nev and burying my face in his stomach again.

We managed to leave the customs office somehow, with all the children- my god, how everyone has spawned- and the luggage, and enter the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. My kids were getting along great with Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley, and I just had this funny feeling that they would be friends for ever, basically.

Neville didn't let go of me the entire time, his arm wrapped around my waist or my shoulder or his hand linked with mine as we ordered drinks and talked with everyone. I could feel all the emotions of so many years of pain and torment bubble at the surface, but I forced them down, enjoying instead the company of my friends/family. We ate and drank together, laughing over the small things in the lives of my friends, from work troubles to family stress. Hermione and Ron playfully bickered with each other, Ginny and Harry were each other's perfect match, and even George was managing the occasional smile in light of the occasion.

The clock finally stroke midnight and it was time for everyone- as everyone had kids- to go home. But for me and my kids, it was only seven, and none of us were exhausted yet. Neville didn't seem to be either, perhaps startled awake by the discovery he had two children, and we came home as awake as ever. My children excitedly ran about the flat, Alice pointing at the telly and immediately exclaiming, "MUMMY! We can _finally_ watch the Harry Potter _movies!_ Oh this is excellent!" and Nate finding a bowl for poor Luna and lovingly setting her onto the coffee table.

"OK kids, um, someone has to shower," I instructed. Nate volunteers, sprinting and finding the bathroom.

"Which room should be Nate and mine?" Alice asked Neville. He pointed to a door down the hall after reflection and Alice took her and Nate's trunks and dragged them down to the room. I felt terror enter my heart again as I realized that there was nothing stopping Neville from asking-

"Why? Love, all I ask is why," he whispered. I looked up at his face and swallowed compulsively.

"Can we wait until we tuck them in? I can't just tell you why I didn't tell you about them, I have to tell you _everything_, all ten years, and I need to be alone with you and uninterrupted," I mumbled. He searched my eyes for a moment before nodding and I pushed my face into his chest again.

"Look at me," he begged. I looked up at him and became lost in his eyes once again.

He stroked my cheek and I shivered beneath his touch, my lips parting as his fingertips ran along to my lips and traced their outline.

"I have thought of this face every day for the past ten years and I always forget to do your beauty justice," Neville whispered huskily.

I laughed quietly, "I have more scars, Nev."

"I would never care about that," he whispered. I blinked and lost myself in his eyes, wishing silently to never have to look away again.

"ALICE!" Nate screamed, his voice louder than it had been since Jethro's death, "I'M DONE! GET YOUR BUTT IN THERE!" He walked through the hallway with a towel as Alice ran past him into the bathroom, laughing hysterically.

"Mummy," Nate interrupted, seemingly unfazed by the looks Neville and I were giving each other- he probably wasn't fazed at all- "Should I wear the blue or the red?"

"It doesn't matter," I laughed, "Since when has it mattered?"

"I dunno, the blue are falling apart, I don't even know why I packed them-"

"Then wear the red!" I was still trying hard to not burst into hysterical type laughter, "Are you tired enough to sleep?"

"Not at all," he shook his head, "But I'll read in bed until I do, is that OK?"

"Always, just don't keep your sister awake," I said fruitlessly.

"Mummy, you _know_ it will be _her_ that keeps _me_ awake!" Nate giggled, "We need our own rooms."

"You'll have them. There's a house in Hogsmeade- I've been thinking about it ever since Harry came back two days ago- it's affordable for me- and I want…" Neville blushed furiously as he finished speaking and looked at me.

"I want there to be lots more kids," he finally managed to spit out. Nate laughed and ran back into his room and I nuzzled Neville lovingly.

"Definitely," I agreed, "Definitely. How much is it?"

"Twenty thousand galleons," he shrugged, "And I have that much inherited from my parents."

"Are you sure you want to use it all on a house?" I whispered.

"I know they'd be happy to help me start the family I never really had," he countered. I nodded, nuzzling his neck softly again, and whispered, "Alright."

"Do you have much saved up?" Neville asked, "I suppose we have to worry about finances-"

"No, we don't. I have some money, I have a job with the Ministry and you with Hogwarts. We'll manage," I argued.

"Don't want to talk about that now?" he chuckled.

"In a word," I laughed, "I've spent ten years not worrying about it because the UDRA basically took care of me and my kids. I'm terrible at managing money."

"I know," he grinned lopsidedly, "You ran out of pocket money, what, after three months when you were here?"

"Hogsmeade is so huge!" I threw my arms up, my nose pressed to his, "I kept finding cool things to buy-"

He laughed again and pressed his cheek to mine, "Oh Maggie mine."

Alice ran out of the bathroom, called out goodnight, and followed her brother into their room. Neville looked deeply into my eyes and I took a deep breath.

"Alright," I whispered, "I'm going to shower first, and then-"

"_We're_ going to shower first," he corrected.

"Right," I mumbled, smiling slightly, "And then I'll tell you everything, alright? I hope you're awake for this."

"For you?" Neville asked, holding my hand tightly in his, "Always."

AN: Ah, emotional release happens in the next chapter- and then the epilogue to part two- and then part three! Part three is like a freaking soap opera at times because there are SO many unresolved issues, the War being one (as I'm sure you've all guessed.)

Thanks to lilyllama (who I can't PM, sadface), Bubbles of Ebil (who still has yet to claim her spoiler prize haha), Sexii-chan, Royal shadow1, IloveNerds543, and meglit7! Sorry it took me this long to update, I was skyping. I will respond to your reviews shortly!

Four more reviews for tomorrow- we're doing great guys! I think I can finish before I move in if we continue like we have been! This is great. I appreciate it deeply because I'm going to be so swamped starting very soon, and I want to finish this story but the less I have to worry about during school the better. Four more reviews, but more are always encouraged.

Review! I love you all!


	35. Ch 16: Escape

Ch. 16: Escape

_You are beautiful_

_Like a dream come alive _

_Incredible_

_A center full of miracle, lyrical _

_You've saved my life again_

_~Love you Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez and the Scene_

I was curled up on his bed, watching him as he dressed into a pair of pajamas and lay down next to me, propping himself up on his elbow and gently caressing my face.

"So," Neville smiled at me with such warmth that I started to not worry of anger or leaving, "The beginning, then."

I reached out with my hand to gently trace his bottom lip and he sighed beneath my touch, his lips parting and his tongue flicking at my finger tip. I breathed in sharply and felt a lightness grow in my abdomen and I knew I had to pull away if I was ever going to talk.

I moved my hand from his lips and he pouted slightly as I smiled warmly at him.

"Alright…" I took a deep breath and he reached out to gently trace along one of my scars, "Uhm, this is going to be hard for me."

"I figure as much," Neville nodded, his lips to my forehead.

"Remember in the beginning? How afraid I was- I hope you were afraid too, but all I can go by is my own feelings- do you remember how afraid I was that we were going to screw it all up and never get reunited?"

"Yes."

"Well, when I found out I was pregnant, right before it was time for me to go to the Academy, I was so terrified Nev. I knew you, I _know_ you, and I knew that you wouldn't care about rules or keeping our noses down or anything like that, but you would come through to help me. Not that that's a bad thing! But we would have gotten into trouble and our sentence would have been longer. I know that it made no difference in the end, I was in the US for a full six years longer than I had to be, but at the time there was no war and there was no uncertainty," I sighed.

"Alright," Neville nodded, "You have a point.

"And in the end it turned out to be good that I never told you- that I told hardly anyone at all- because it meant that the Unionists didn't know about them at all and I didn't have to move them with the rest of my family and could keep them close, a secret- Kingsley was even secret-keeper," I murmured.

"Alright," Neville repeated, "But why didn't you tell my about them later? When it was clear that it would be a very long time before we were reunited again?"

"If I told you about them via letter the Unionists would have intercepted it, discovered it, found out. And when Kingsley became secret-keeper it wasn't my secret to tell any more. I could have asked him to, but Kingsley didn't want to give it out any more than necessary, given how dangerous it is back home," I sighed, "I eventually just decided that it would be better to wait and introduce you to them."

"OK," Neville frowned slightly, "Start at the beginning again. Everything. Everything about the war and raising them and all the danger. And what made you crack this past month, because I know that's why you were finally allowed to come back."

And so I started at the beginning. I was becoming more and more exhausted with each successive word as I went through the training camp and explained how I had to hide my pregnancy with magic, which made him nervous even before I talked about why I had _actually_ been sick at graduation, and apologized for not trying to let him come through. He agreed, though, that if he had seen me pass out and give birth he would never have left for any reason, and we would have run into difficulty again.

I moved on to the interning year, the only year of relative peace and stability, explaining how the unionist threat grew and talking about the prophecy again- the prophecy that seemed to be shrouded in more and more darkness as things continued on. Now that Jethro was dead, I had absolutely no idea who the "foe" could be, and the rest were always in the dark.

Then I talked, in complete honesty, about everything from the time in the cabin; the battle at Baja, and every successive one, all the pain and the terror and the violence. Neville couldn't keep his hands off me at that point, squeezing my shoulders tightly or my hands, breathing in sharply with every recollection of pain and loss. When I got to the point when he and I were separated fully, he wound his arms around me and held my body tightly to his.

"Never again," he moaned, "Never, never again."

I continued, speaking with my voice in a tremor of my failed journey to bring my known family to safety, talking with tears in my eyes of how my father died and my sister was taken from me, trying with difficulty to stop myself from breaking down into hysterical sobs. When I finished speaking of this disastrous attack, Neville kissed me full on the lips and gently touched my cheek.

"You did the right thing, not telling me or anyone about the twins," he whispered, "They would not have survived that."

"No," I agreed, "They wouldn't have."

I continued on, describing each of the journeys to deliver family members in detail, sighing in exasperation as I remembered the monotony of every trip across the desert. Neville's hand at the base of my neck wasn't helping my concentration much, either.

I tried to drag out the details of the journeys as much as I could, unwilling to get to the next topic of conversation any sooner than I had to- Jethro. But it was unavoidable, and I treaded the subject carefully, knowing I couldn't leave out any details but not wanting to delve into my personal feelings for the man. Neville seemed to understand why I grew to trust him as I explained each of our conversations that lead to him turning his back on Unionism, which at least was a relief. And when I revealed that he loved me, Neville didn't seem surprised.

"Well, come on Maggie. It's like you say. You understood him and were kind to him," Neville shrugged, "He and Nate were really close, weren't they?"

"I might have gone catatonic, but Nate didn't talk for two weeks and wasn't nearly as friendly as he used to be the two weeks after I woke up," I whispered, "Jethro was important to him."

"I'm glad I found that toad," Neville murmured. I could see the ghost of inadequacy in his eyes and I reached out to gently smooth the wrinkles from his forehead.

"Jethro might have been important to him, but Nev, you're still his father. I've told you about the picture. All he had to know as a baby to grow attached to you was that you were his da," I smiled.

"I remember that," Neville's eyes were filled with tears, "I remember thinking how weird it was for a kid to name a toad da, but he was really saying hi to me."

I kissed the tip of his nose, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you then."

"It's alright," Neville paused, sighing, "Like you have clearly shown me, it worked out for the best."

I then embarked on all the dangerous missions Jethro and I went on, still managing to disguise my feelings for him as that of platonic best-friendship.

"I'm glad he fell for you," Neville murmured thoughtfully as I talked about how I was nearly killed by Forge, "He saved your life a lot, didn't he?"

"Yeah," I smiled slightly, _in more ways than one_, "I owe him much more than I gave, but I couldn't give more than I did." And I hesitantly told Neville the rest, telling him honestly about Jethro's three kisses, but still not revealing my deep wish that I had had the strength to return them.

He wasn't happy about the kisses, but he couldn't seem to find himself able to get angry at a dead man who had given so much to his family, and didn't whine about the situation.

"All I'm irritated about is that he wanted to make you cheat on me," Neville grumbled. I ran my hands through his hair and kissed his lips softly.

I decided that lying and saying I wasn't tempted wouldn't help my own inner psyche, given how guilty I was for not confessing my feelings for Jethro as it was, and I told Neville honestly, "I would never have done it."

"I know, but he shouldn't have even asked," he muttered. I kissed him again and squeezed his shoulders.

"Don't worry over it, love. He's gone, he can't steal me from you, nor could he ever," I kissed the tip of his nose, "You're the only one for me, and there has never been any question."

Neville pressed his nose to mine and nodded slightly, "Alright. Alright."

I continued on, describing my grief over his death and being without him, still managing to not speak of Jethro like I loved him romantically.

"I was so alone, Neville. My father and mother were dead, my sister was MIA. My children were there, but it wasn't their job to comfort their mother, that is the parent's job to comfort the kid and continue on their own. My friends were out fighting or back here, and I hadn't seen you in seven years, and then Jethro- my best friend- was gone. I just… collapsed. I couldn't think any more, I couldn't feel. I was supposed to go catatonic because of being separated from you for ten years, and Jethro's death was the trigger," I whispered.

He stroked my face kindly and kissed every inch of it, "Oh love. Don't worry. I understand. And I'm here."

"Did you ever… go…" I asked quietly.

He frowned at me, "No, but that isn't because I'm stronger than you, or you're weak, or because I don't love you as much as you do me. Most of the year I'm teaching, sweetheart, and that is such a distraction that I only ever feel the sting, the pain of your absence in its most acute form during the summer. I was edging towards it now, I must admit, and if anyone had told me _during_ the fact that you were sick- I would have probably gone the same way."

I nodded, "Right. Right, of course." I continued on, describing Harry's appearance, going through the battle of Nevada, and finishing with our arrival, not even mentioning Harry's hypothesis or my erotic dream. No one, especially Neville, needed to know about that.

I finished my story with my throat hoarse and my soul exhausted. Neville gently traced and kissed each and every one of my scars, whether they were on my face, arms, legs or anywhere else. His lips were soft and kind and warm and it felt like heaven to feel them on my skin again, in every place I had ever felt pain.

I took off his shirt and ran my lips along his now very faded scar, to remind him how much I still appreciated all his sacrifices for me, which now included waiting so long for a family and a lover and his patience with my secrecy. He held me in his arms, both of us now too exhausted to continue on, and I curled up tightly in his arms to sleep in them for the first time in ten years.

It was the best sleep I had had in ten years, including the one after he came through the one time. I had no dreams of carnage, death, or pain- in fact, I had no dreams at all. I was still crying when I woke up in the morning, the tears sticky on my face, but it wasn't so much for grief or pain as it was from emotional release and ease. Neville kissed each of the tears from my face as I wrapped myself around him tightly, fusing with him, needing to be one and the same.

The sun was getting higher and brighter in the sky and, as nice as it was to feel Neville so lovingly close to me and caressing me so kindly, I knew that the children would be awake now and probably fighting over something or just tearing apart the entire flat. I gently took his hand from its current position caressing my inner thigh and kissed his palm, smiling at him apologetically before standing up.

"I'm staring," I whispered. Neville nodded and stood up with me, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist tenderly.

"I love you," he whispered softly in my ear. I leaned back into his embraced and tucked the back of my head in his shoulder.

"I love you too," I responded, smiling as he pressed his cheek to the side of my head. We walked outside, where Nate and Alice were watching the telly, enraptured.

"Honestly," I sighed, smiling at the two of them as they turned around, "Give kids a telly for the first time in their lives-"

"You feeling better mummy? Now that you're with daddy again?" Alice asked, dissuading my criticism.

"Yes," I answered softly as Neville pressed his face to my hair, "I'm not completely better yet, but I'm getting there."

"I'm hungry," Nate frowned, "Can we have breakfast?"

"Sure," Neville offered, looking up from my hair and at the kids, "Want pancakes?"

Both of the kids nodded and ran into the kitchen as Neville and I followed calmly, our arms wrapped around each other. Neville took out ingredients and helped the kids find where to put out the table cloth and the plates, napkins and silverware. As the two of them eagerly set the table, he turned to me as I mixed the ingredients with my wand and he set out a plate to fry them on.

"We should visit Gran," Neville murmured softly, "She didn't get the explanation she deserved last night, and I'm amazed with how patient she managed to be."

"Alright," I nodded, "Kids, we get to hang out with your great-grandmother today!"

Nate and Alice looked up at us as Neville started to heat the pancakes with his wand.

"She barely talked to us yesterday," Nate muttered.

"That's because _you_ barely approached _her_," Neville laughed, "You were too busy talking to Victoire and Teddy!"

"Can we hang out with _them_?" Alice asked, "They're so cool, and Victoire will be in our year at Hogwarts, and Teddy in the year above-"

"Maybe tomorrow," I sighed, "But you should really spend time with your great-grandmother."

"What about dad? Shouldn't we spend time with him first?" Nate begged.

"She isn't going to _bite_ you!" Neville laughed.

"You seem scared enough of her to not want to put off any time in introducing us to her so she won't be mad at you for waiting," Alice replied shrewdly.

"It'll be fine, kids," I chuckled at Neville's shocked expression, "How's this- a nice, quiet day with gran, and then tomorrow you get to be with Victoire and Teddy?"

"What about dad?" Nate insisted.

I wanted to cry- he was giving him a chance.

"Would you rather hang out with dad tomorrow and Victoire and Teddy Monday?" I offered. Both of them nodded and Neville, behind our backs, squeezed my wrist in a death grip. I knew how much it meant to him that they would put off spending time with kids their own age for spending time with him- and it meant the universe to me too.

"Ok then. We just have to get through today," I beamed, "Eat up," and the pancakes soared to the four plates set out. I sat down and tried to not give away anything in my expression as Neville calmly, smoothly rubbed his foot up and down my leg throughout the entire meal. It seemed to be his custom now.

We left for Gran's immediately, and I spent most of the beginning explaining to her why I hadn't told Neville about the children- again. I knew instinctually that I would have to explain it many more times, but that didn't make it any easier. Nor was she as understanding as Neville had been, and was, on the whole, very unsympathetic.

"We could have raised them here while you traversed across the country risking your neck," she insisted, "You didn't have to keep them there."

"Yes I did," I sighed, "You don't understand- it was impossible to get anyone over here-"

"They would have been safer and I know how to raise children!" Gran shouted.

"No you don't, Gran. You know how to take care of children," Neville muttered, "Just drop it."

She looked stunned, and the rest of the day passed awkwardly, with her trying to connect to the two of them as they were visibly bored, and Neville looking anywhere but at his grandmother's eye.

We left as awkwardly as we had stayed, with Neville and Gran only hugging slightly, the same with me. It made me sad, knowing we had had a good relationship before that was now probably destroyed.

After the kids went to bed, I faced Neville in our room, leaning against the wall with my arms folded across my chest.

"What did you mean by that, telling her she didn't know how to raise kids?" I sighed in exasperation.

"She doesn't!" Neville threw up his hands, sitting on the edge of the bed, "I spent the first eleven years of my life being told that I'd never measure up to my father and mother. How do you think that affected me? You _know_ how it affected me. She took care of me; I didn't starve or freeze. But did she make me an emotionally and mentally stable child? Not so much."

"I agree wholeheartedly," I bit my lip, "But that doesn't mean you have to tell her that in that _particular_ situation!"

"No, it probably wasn't the best idea- but if anyone criticizes you, Maggie, I have to defend you," he grinned lopsidedly. I couldn't hide my smile, but I bit down on my lip to contain it somewhat.

"Well that's stupid," I replied despite my grin, "I don't need you to defend me, you know."

"Trust me," Neville stood up and walked closer to me with his hands in his pockets, "If there's one thing I've known since the day I met you, it's that you can take care of yourself." I laughed loudly as he leaned closer to me and bent down, his head fitting in the dip between my neck and shoulder and his mouth by my ear, his hair tickling my cheek.

"But that doesn't mean I don't want to protect you, nor that I shouldn't," he whispered delicately in my ear as he gently placed his hands on my waist. I breathed in sharply and felt my body automatically curl into him. Yesterday I had been too tired, during the shower and afterwards- but now I was wide, wide awake, and the children were in their room on the other side of the flat.

"I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't, so long ago," I responded, my voice breathless as his leg went between mine and his knee gently pressed against my lower abdomen.

"I would sustain thousands upon thousands of those scars if it meant keeping you safe," he mumbled, his fingers gently tracing the slight bit of exposed skin of my waist between my t-shirt and jeans. I sighed beneath his touch and he took the pause in conversation as an opportunity to bend down more and kiss the sensitive spot between my neck and shoulder, his lips pressing against the nerves there and making me gasp quietly. I pressed my hands to the sensitive spot on the back of his neck and he kissed mine more, running his lips along until he reached the edge of my shirt collar and going back up again, his tongue occasionally flicking against the delicate skin and making me moan. I ran my fingers through his locks of brown hair and his knee pressed harder against my abdomen, making me gasp with pleasure.

"Oh G-God," I gasped as he gently bit down on the most sensitive spot of my neck, my hands clutching hard at the back of his, "Oh God…"

He took this as an encouraging sign and bit my neck again, making me cry out as he did it more forcefully. I pressed my own lips against his neck and sucked on it hard, pressing my torso against his as his knee continually pressed into my abdomen at a regular rhythm.

He groaned as I reached to squeeze his buttocks through his back jean pockets and bit so hard on my neck I had to press harder to his neck to control my groan. He hitched me up higher against the wall, reaching down with his hands to come underneath my butt and lifting my legs around his waist as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, spinning us around while still biting my neck delicately and dropping me onto the bed.

I looked up at his face, feeling pure elation run through me as we sank deeper into the bed and our lips found each other's.

The next morning we woke up very, very late and the kids were laughing that our breakfast was more like lunch as Neville made muffins and I helped set the table. As well all sat down to eat, Neville's hand now inbetween my legs beneath the table, Alice was frowning at us and Nate was smiling.

"What?" I asked them curiously, ignoring Neville pointedly as I bit into a chocolate chip muffin.

"Why do you have a bunch of little red marks all over your neck?" Alice demanded, frowning still. Nate giggled and ate his banana muffin happily.

"Huh?" I asked in shock. I hadn't seen myself in a mirror this morning but it suddenly dawned on me that they must be from last night.

"You have loads of little red marks all over that," she pointed, "side of your neck! Are you sick?"

"No," I answered calmly.

"Dad has one too," Nate giggled, "Only one, though, but it's larger than mummy's."

"Oh-kay," I interrupted, "Eat your breakfast kids." I gently kicked Neville under the table as he ignored our children's inquiries and continued in his previous business, which usually would have made me very happy, but I wasn't in the mood to give my children another reason to pry into our private life. I made a mental note to wear some sort of neck covering tomorrow when we visited the Weasley clan.

"What are they?" Alice demanded, "Dad, did you get mummy sick?"

"No," Neville replied calmly, "Neither of us are sick. You haven't touched your blueberry muffin, love-"

"I think I know what it is," Nate giggled, his muffin finished. Alice turned to him in her most haughty manner and asked, "What, then do _you_ think it is, Mr. Know-it-All?"

"They bit each other," Nate giggled harder behind his hand. Alice's eyes widened and she stared at us with the most hilarious expression of shock I had ever seen on her usually unruffled face.

"Why would you _bite_ each other?" she gasped. Neville let out the softest of groans next to me and I could feel a blush creep up to my cheeks.

"Are you mad at each other? When you're mad do you bite each other? That's so _weird _mum!" she continued.

"We are not mad at each other," I sighed, trying my hardest to not laugh along with Nate, who was full on rolling in his chair now.

"They bit each other because…" Nate couldn't seem to get it out as he continued to laugh, clutching his side tightly, "They bit each other because it _feels_ **good**," he continued to laugh hard at Alice's new facial expression of disgust.

"That's enough, Nathaniel," I snapped quietly, but I was also trying hard to not laugh at Alice. Neville next to me did not have the same self-control, and he was chuckling into his own strawberry muffin.

"How do you even _know that?_" Alice demanded of Nate, "Where would you _learn_ that?"

"I told you," Nate laughed, "After mummy gave us the, ahem, 'talk,' I asked Uncle Jethro a bunch of questions because mummy didn't know much about boys!"

I spewed out my coffee and Neville did the same with his orange juice.

"_What **else** did he tell you?_" I asked Nate in shock, completely unaware this had occurred.

"Not much, just what happens to boys during puberty, and then I asked him what girls liked when you kissed them, because if I meet someone I don't want to screw it up, and he told me that girls liked to get bitten on their neck, among other things," Nate shrugged nonchalantly.

I put my elbows on the table and placed my face in my hands, groaning, "If he were still alive I would _kill_ him…" Alice and Nate started giggling again.

Neville rolled his eyes next to me, gently rubbing my back and turning to Nate, "You're too young to think about that sort of thing, son- let your mum have a few more years not worrying about all that."

"I like to be prepared!" Nate protested, "What if I'm absolute rubbish?" Alice was laughing very loudly now.

"I understand, but wait until you're thirteen for her, alright?" Neville chuckled, "If you have any questions you can ask me, but don't give your mum a conniption just yet."

"He takes after Aunt Hermione," I muttered softly under my breath to Neville, "He's always reading everything he can about anything so he's 'prepared'." Neville nodded and grinned a little and finished his juice. Alice decided it was the time to change the subject and began to talk about all the things she and Nate wanted to do with Neville that day while I unpacked all of our things. When Neville and I returned to our room to get dressed, I found myself blushing furiously.

"Sorry about that- he would have asked you if you had been there- hell, I probably would have talked to Alice and you to Nate-" I tried to explain, feeling awful that it had been Jethro who had told Nate all these such things.

"It's alright sweetheart," Neville laughed, rubbing my shoulders gently and kissing the back of my head as I threw on a pair of jeans, "I don't mind, really. I found the whole thing very funny."

"You would," I rolled my eyes, "Go. Be with them." He walked out with a grin on his face and I could hear them all in the living room as I went to the kids' room to unpack their clothes, waving my wand around with a smile on my face at their laughter and chatter. Lord knows I deserved some good luck at last.

It was when I went through my own luggage that I finally broke down again. I pulled out my two photo albums, and while the one with pictures of me and my British family just made my smile (when it had made me cry in the past,) the one from my days in America made my start to sob. Picture after picture of the people I had lost filled it: my dad, Elena, and Jethro. I couldn't stop crying once I had started and I curled up upon the floor, my wand forgotten next to me, wanting to pull myself together but unable to. It all came out at once- all the pain, all the waiting, all the loss of ten years of hell.

"Maggie? Maggie!" I heard him run into the room and kneel in front of me, staring at me with his beautiful brown eyes. I swallowed and tried to stop crying, but was unable to. He scooted forward, looking at the photo album briefly before understanding, and pulled me into his arms and held me tightly until my sobs quieted and finally stopped and all I was doing was shaking.

"You're fine, you're OK, and you're not going to lose anyone else to war again," he repeated over and over again as my shaking finally slowed to a stop as well.

I nodded and looked up at him, wiping off my eyes, "S-sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Neville smiled at me slightly, kissing my forehead in the spot designated for his lips and his lips only, "You've been through a lot. There are going to be lots of days like this, but that's OK, because when you're all better it's going to be bloody brilliant."

I managed to find the strength to mumble, "I… I might not need you to defend me…"

"Yeah?" he asked quietly.

"But I do need you to love me," I mumbled, "I do need you to hold me and sooth me and put me back together."

"That's something else I knew the moment I met you," Neville whispered in my ear.

I laughed and snuggled with him for a moment until my breathing quieted and I was normal again, "Alright. Go back to them. I'm almost done here."

He smiled, nodded, and kissed me before walking back to the children.

He was right. It would be a while until I was better again, but he would be there the entire journey, and it would all be OK.

AN: Aaaaand just the epilogue to part two left! We can do it guys! Four more reviews! And then part three, which is lots of funsies, I swear. Hahaha.

Thanks toooo: Royal shadow1, Bubbles of Ebil, Sexii-chan, and IloveNerds543. You guys are so awesome for being such regular reviewers! It really makes my day. Truly.

Four reviews tomorrow guys! Can we do it? YES WE CAN! I've just finished packing everything and it's the weirdest thing. The only things that are still out are the clothes I'm going to need, my iPhone, my laptop and my purse. So. WEIRD! I don't even have my notebook for this series out which makes me glad that I know the beginning of Time Change (part three) well enough that I can start it if I'm bored. Gah. Tomorrow and Friday are going to be LONG days.

Review!


	36. Epilogue: Promise

Epilogue: Promise

_Welcome Home, while away_

_They have tampered with the locks_

_And your things they rearranged_

_"We propose a better way" _

_Said the note they left behind_

_In their wake of disarray_

_~The Strength to Go On by Rise Against_

And now, as I fly over the Atlantic ocean, I can hear my child snore on top of my head. I smile slightly as we approach a familiar shaped island in the distance. My partner is there, slowly becoming whole again, with the love of her life by her side.

Jethro sleeps soundly on my head as we continue to fly, leaving the war behind us in our wake as our shadows soared in the waves below. I am tired from the long journey, especially since I hadn't completely recovered from the Battle of Nevada and every wound it had inflicted upon my person.

Everything is so wet, I need to get to dry land, and relatively quickly would be nice.

We are now flying over the countryside to get to their small little home in Hogsmeade, the children chirping in happiness at the prospect of reaching somewhere safe where they could rest, and Illy excited about reaching her bond again. Emralda yawns next to me and I know we both will be sleeping for a long time as soon as the moment arises.

The wet British air doesn't help with the fact that all I require at the moment is fire, rocks, and mountains. It does help that it is so natural and wild out, so that at least I'm not trying to fly through smog and urbania.

We come up to the village, where one nice cozy house is sitting a bit of a ways off from the others. I can now read Maggie's thoughts. She and Neville are thinking of visiting Ernie and Hannah at their flat above the Hog's Head just a street away. She is excited at the presence of my mind and I know she and the children have just run outside to greet us, Neville following behind muttering something about her needing to rest her leg.

I laugh. Even for someone who knows literally everything about her, he still has a lot to learn. Well, he knows it, but he has to realize that even fruitless pleas fall on deaf ears with that woman.

We land in the backyard and the children who are asleep on our backs yawn and start to wake as the ones who flew on their own begin to call in excitement. My partner limps outside, a smile appearing on her scarred face as Alice and Nate come sprinting out, Alice throwing her arms around Illy (who has now grown to the size of a Hypogriff) and Nate coming up and hugging me as well. It still warms my heart to know that, as much as his fall from my back may have scarred him, he still was fond of me as a person.

Neville also appears from the house and he smiles at me, walking over to Maggie and wrapping his arm around her waist. She sighs and leans into his embrace, her head resting between his shoulder and his neck. He turns his face ever so slightly and rests his cheek against her forehead, closing his eyes slightly at the touch. She reaches with her arm to rest her hand on top of his on her waist and wraps her other arm around his shoulder.

They are so content that I almost want to start purring myself, feeling what she does through the link.

They walk forward and she puts her hand on my snout fondly, smiling at me with eyes that are perhaps less pained than they had been the last time I see them. At the least, they are happier, and I know that she will not leave the man by her side again for any reason at all. She has earned that right.

"Thanks Thai," Neville grins at me slightly, his hand dropping slightly to rest on Maggie's hip, "Not sure if she'd be alive if it weren't for you."

"We're never sure of that one," I chuckle a bit. Maggie smiles and looks over at Neville with such adoration that I realize with a jolt that Jethro really had no chance in hell.

"Well, there are plenty of fields and mountains for you guys behind the house. I expect you must be exhausted," Maggie nodded, "How are things back home?"

"Terrible," Emralda answers gravely in her soothing voice. It seems to startle Neville, who had never met Emralda before, and probably imagined her differently, "When we left, they were attacking DC."

"With all of Elisha's little top-cronies dead?" Maggie responds sharply, shock entering her features.

"Apparently, Elisha is going to enter the throng herself this time, and even that aside, she has new top-cronies. Some of whom you know-Gred, Forge, Amy and Nia."

"Great," she groans, holding her face in her hands. Neville gently turns her to face him, holding her softly by the waist.

"Maggie," he whispers, "It'll be OK."

"How can you know? I'm not there to fight! They're going to be helpless without me- poor Miss Olson, poor Kylie and Richard and Ezra and Leslie and Kita!"

"It'll be OK because I'm going to work very, very hard to get them over here, where they'll be safe. I promise," Neville looks into her eyes and she calms some under his gaze.

She wraps her arms tightly around his shoulders and neck and he wraps his around her waist, him slouched so he can bury his head in her neck. She sighs visibly and leans into him and Nate starts giggling behind his hand- immature children.

I love them, but they're immature nine year olds, what can be expected?

Alice is also giggling and she leads Nate over to Illy, all three talking excitedly. I hear catches of the words "_Doing it_" and "Baby" and "Siblings" and "All the time!" I roll my eyes to the heavens above and Emralda snorts slightly. Maggie and Neville are not phased, his arms still wrapped tightly around her, her hands buried in his shaggy hair.

I probe her thoughts and I learn that, whenever it looks like she is about to break with all the pressure and pain of the past ten years, all he had to do was hold her and she would calm again. As such, their hugs went on much too long of late.

Emralda turns to me and gives me a pointed, exhausted look. I nod and nudge Maggie gently, kindly. She pulls back slightly from Neville, still deep in his embrace, and nods at me.

"Go sleep," Maggie pats my nose again, "We'll talk when you're rested."

"Thanks," I murmur sleepily, and Emralda and I take off for the dragon-free mountains, our children safe on our backs.

For now, there was no enemy but exhaustion.

AN: WOOHOO FINISHED PART TWO! Did not think that would happen before I moved, but here I am, still quite a long while before take-off. Thanks you guys for being a great readership and I hope you stick with me for part three, as irregularly posted as it will be.

Thanks to IloveNerds543, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, Anonymous, Iilyllama, and Bubbles of Ebil! You guys have been really great, seriously. I hope you'll stick around for part three, but I know how crazy school is. I will respond to your reviews shortly!

Four reviews for the prologue to part three- which is a lot more exciting/revealing of information than this was. I actually typed it up already so I might be able to post it in a relatively quick manner.

Review!


	37. Part 3 Prologue: Stalker

_Part Three  
_

_Time Change_

Prologue: Stalker

_That's why we won't back down  
We won't run and hide, yeah cause  
These are the things that we can't deny  
I'm passing over you like a satellite  
So catch me if I fall  
~Satellite by Rise Against_

I can hear voices from the room next door and I sigh, walking down the hallway with my usual limp. After all these years, these long long years, I still can't walk properly. It doesn't help that I am now forty seven and not as young as I once was.

The door to the room is closed but I can hear bickering voices and I rap on it lightly with my knuckles, pressing my hip up against the door. The voices immediately quiet and I smirk.

"Ron, Harry, don't think I can't hear you in there," I call out, "Shouldn't you be in your own room?"

The door opens slightly and out peek two boyish faces. One of them has dark red hair, the other dark brown with black highlights. Both of them have green eyes.

"Mummy," Ron whines, his dark brown hair falling into his face, "Hermione won't let us go. She kept arguing with us."

"Hermione," I sigh, opening the door wider to see a girl with equally dark red hair and dark brown eyes standing there with her arms crossed in front of her (burgeoning) chest, her foot tapping against the floor. Another girl with dark red hair and bright green eyes sits next to her, meekly staring at her shoes.

"Mum," Hermione snaps, blowing a strand of her red hair out of her face, "I'm sorry, but we deserve an explanation!"

"For what?" I sigh, sitting down on one of the two twin beds in the room.

"We're going to _Hogwarts_ tomorrow," Hermione continues, "_Hogwarts_."

"Yes, and?" I smile at her as Harry and Ron hover by the door.

"So _everyone will know about the war but **us**!_" Hermione groans, "I don't want to be the only one who doesn't know simply because her fool of a mum-"

"_Mione!_" Ginny gasps next to her.

"First off," I sigh, "You _won't_ be the only ones. Everyone in your year was born the year after it ended- and no one wanted to relieve it once it was done. Second off, your cousins Carlie, Desmond and Renee-"

"Are in our year and don't have a clue either," Hermione rolls her eyes and deduces.

"Nor do Scipio and Christopher," I mutter, "And they're younger."

"Look, its _hard_ being the youngest in the family, alright! In a family of TWELVE. CHILDREN." Hermione repeats, for probably the millionth time in her life.

"I know sweetheart, but your older siblings were ready to learn-"

"WHEN THEY WERE ELEVEN! LIKE US! And never mind Alice and Nate, they _lived_ it-"

"And wish they hadn't!"

"I want to know why my sister cries herself to sleep every night!" Hermione stamps her foot on the ground again and I sigh, burying my face in my hands.

"Did your-"

"He said nothing to me. Not like he had to!" Hermione continues to glare at me.

A knock issues on the door and I look up to see my husband standing there.

"Everything alright?" he asks calmly, smiling at me slightly before turning to Hermione, "Shouldn't you be calming down, not riling up? You have to catch the train tomorrow."

"Oh please. If I sleep late you can just take us up there, it's right down the bend," Hermione spits out before walking to her bed and sitting on it in a huff.

"Mione," Neville groans, sitting next to me as we both turn to her, "Please. Talk to us."

She shakes her head, her wild red hair moving back and forth.

Neville whispers in my ear, "Did Uncle Wilfric have something to do with this?" And I shake my head quietly.

"She was freaking out about the sorting tomorrow," Ginny begins.

"_Gin!_" Hermione whines.

"They want to know, and I want to sleep- I, unlike you, am not so sure about getting into Gryffindor so I want to have enough time to not toss and turn tonight. Anyways, she was freaking out about the sorting tomorrow so I asked her what was up, but then I found out that it wasn't just the sorting she was freaking out about-"

"What, sweetheart?" Neville and I ask in unison.

"And obviously, Harry and Ron can't sleep next door either, and Hermione freaking out brought them in here," Ginny finishes.

"OK," I sigh, "Harry, Ron, sit down. I guess you're all just going to be exhausted on your first Hogwarts train ride tomorrow." Harry and Ron look sheepish as they sit on the carpet.

"What else were you freaking out about?" Neville asks Hermione quietly.

"Alice having more kids," Hermione mutters. Neville and I look at her in shock.

"What? _Why?_"

"I just- I don't understand- she and her husband been together since she was _fifteen_ and he _sixteen_. How have they managed to stay together that long? What brought them together? I know it was something in the war but _no one_ tells me_ anything_."

"Nate and your sister-in-law have been together almost as long-"

"They _also_ were brought together through the war! Maybe not as directly because it was after the fact but I _know_ that's the truth! Mum," Hermione sighs, "I think I- _we-_ deserve to know what happened to all those aunts and uncles we know by name but don't know by face because they're _dead_."

I groan softly, "Sweetheart, I agree. But you have to understand- war stalked me and your father from the time we were kids until just recently. It followed us. Just recently we got out of another war! Luckily we weren't as integral of a part of that one- that was all cousin Albus's crowd, but-"

"Exactly!" Hermione insists, "We grew up with that war!"

"It didn't affect you much-"

"But we _knew_ about it, we _heard_ about it from Alice, Nate, Kylie, Jethro, Severus, Richard, Augusta, and Luna, not to mention all of our cousins and aunts and uncles and-"

"Fine!" I throw my hands up in the air, "But I can't tell you about it. Love, you don't understand. I don't want to relive that war. Your father can tell you," I pat Neville's slightly greying head fondly and walk outside, looking back on my family, "I can't do it anymore."

I close the door behind me and slide down against it, leaning against the wall to listen as my husband's voice begins.

"We married soon after your mother came home…"

AN: Well this is… surreal… I don't think I ever get the chance to update twice in one day. Thank you all for reviewing so quickly! Wow. That's amazing. I still haven't moved yet xD

Special Thanks to Bubbles of Ebil, Royal Shadow1, Sexii-chan, and IloveNerds543. It's amazing how quickly you reviewed, but I won't be able to update this quickly for a long time… I have maybe one sentence written of chapter one? I'll reply to your reviews soon!

Four reviews though are still required for the next update! Thank you all for your interest in the story!

Review and hearts to all of you guys!


	38. Ch 1: Bliss

Ch. 1: Bliss

_You'd be surprised all the times that I almost told you  
But I stayed cool  
I almost broke but I  
Knew I would get to hold you  
Cause I'm no fool  
~I Got U by Selena Gomez and the Scene_

I knew that everything was right in the world for a grand total of five reasons.

1. The sun was actually shining through our bedroom window in our quaint little Scottish town, which hardly ever happened in the winter.

2. It was late in the morning; we had actually managed to sleep in long enough to have a decent amount of sleep.

3. There was a young woman sleeping in my arms who felt softer than the most comfortable of blankets

4. We were both, ah, in our birthday suits, as it were.

5. She wasn't crying in her sleep.

This hadn't happened since she had come back from America; almost every night for a good number of months now had been tear filled and anxious. I had tried to comfort her every night, but there were just some times when I knew nothing I was saying was going to get through to her. All I could do on those nights was hold her until her tears quieted and she fell asleep.

But the fact that all those facts above were true meant that this was the first night we had had with absolutely no negative aspects.

I might have been awake, but I didn't feel like waking up, nor did I have to. It was Saturday and I would not be teaching Herbology today. So I tightened my arm around her stomach and kissed the side of her neck before nestling there, closing my eyes calmly and mumbling "mmm".

We lay there like that for a long while, me calmly relaxing around her. I couldn't hear any telly on in the living room, which made me mildly concerned about the kids, but they often were quiet when they knew we were sleeping in the morning. Not to mention, the house was rather spacious, so it was hard to hear what was going on down on the first floor to begin with.

I tightened my hold on her waist as she stirred delicately in my arms and trailed kisses along the back of her neck down to the base of her spine. She turned around, yawning, and pressed her nose to mine.

"Morning," she mumbled softly. I gently traced the side of her face and whispered back, "Morning," with a cheeky grin on my face. She opened her eyes and smiled at me in response, her lips pressed to my cheek as she did so. I shifted slightly and gently rested my foot on her leg and she curled into my embrace.

"Mmm," she sighed, her lips now to the base of my chin, "This is nice."

"Isn't it always?" I laughed, still in my mode of intense cheekiness. She laughed and ruffled my hair slightly as her legs shifted slightly around me. I sighed and pressed against her, making her mumble happily.

"Make love to me," she ordered quietly in my ear. I laughed, tracing the side of her waist.

"Isn't it a bit early right now?" I chuckled.

"So?" she furthered, pressing her chest against mine and making me groan slightly.

"Well I mean, the kids are probably up, it's past breakfast, we were up so late last night doing the very thing you suggest, it's not healthy to be constantly-"

"I think it's very healthy, and I think you agree."

"Fine. The kids are up and we should get them food items, or else we're being terrible parents," I laughed, uncurling from her reluctantly and standing up to go grab my boxers from the floor. She sat up with the sheets wrapped around her chest and frowned at me, her hair a mess around her face.

She watched me dress with a very strange expression, a more thoughtful one than usual. It reminded me of how she looked as I told her about my parents (the parents I had yet to take her to, putting it off as I was.)

"Let's get married," she murmured softly as I threw her an oversized shirt to wear. I raised my eyebrows at her and smiled.

"We are planning, love," I grinned.

"No. Let's go get married now," she insisted, pulling on a pair of shorts and walking over to me and putting her hands on my waist, "Let's go get married and never have to worry about separation ever again."

"Love…" I sighed, "We've been through this. We _aren't_ going to be separated again."

"I don't want to worry about it," she whispered, holding me tightly around my (increasingly soft again, now that I was eating regularly) middle. I looked down at her teal eyes and kissed her forehead.

"I know. It's only another month. It'll be amazing, I promise," I kissed her nose and loosely held her hand, "Bloody brilliant."

She smiled slightly and looked down at our intertwined hands, "I've been thinking about something."

"Yeah?" I asked cheerfully, running my finger through a lock of her hair.

"You've given me so, so much, especially these past few months," she whispered, looking up at me earnestly, "I honestly would not have progressed this far in the healing process without you."

"Glad to be of service," I smiled and kissed her temple.

"I should give something back to you for all you've put up with these past ten years," she furthered, squeezing my hand tightly.

"You've already given me everything- your love, our marriage, a family. You don't need to give me anything else," I smiled down at her lovingly, earnestly.

"I want to," she whispered.

"What else is there to give? I don't want anything else," I laughed, running my thumb down her cheek.

"I… I want… Upon the event of our marriage," she smiled warmly at me, "I'm going to add a dash Longbottom to my name."

I stared at her, my eyes widening in shock. I understood this woman before me. She was fiercely independent and I was terrified she wouldn't even marry me in the end, much less change her name. I loved her independence. I wasn't upset when I thought she would remain Maggie Johnson.

"You… You sure… I mean, wow…" I whispered.

"And the children are Johnson-Longbottom too. Honestly, to be a good family you should add the Johnson to the beginning of yours, but since Longbottom's at the end that would be the shortened version, and I'm OK with that," Maggie said, relieving me with her usual independent streak.

"Really?" I asked breathlessly.

"Maggie Longbottom has a nice ring to it," she nodded. I picked her up fully off the ground and kissed her on the lips, swinging her around the room. I was filled with deep elation, elation I wouldn't have even known I would feel about this declaration.

"Wow," she laughed as I finally let her down, looking up at me in amusement, "I didn't realize it meant so much to you."

"Actually, nor did I," I smiled slightly, "But I can't deny it, I feel so happy about it. I guess… the fact that I didn't think it was going to happen just didn't make me sad, if that makes sense."

"Sorta," she grinned lopsidedly at me as I leaned down to give her another kiss.

"That's not my… only idea," she interjected between kisses, making me stop my quest to memorize the taste of her lips.

"Oh?" I asked curiously, running my fingers through her hair.

"Well, you aren't going to like this idea but… It's only a month until the wedding," she paused, "It's not that long."

"No, generally a month is a short time," I laughed, "What are you getting at?"

"Well… Wouldn't our… You know," she laughed slightly, her cheeks even coloring in that beautiful way they did when we were quasi-kids, "Wedding night be more… meaningful… passionate… whatever you want to say, if we were to wait to make love until then?"

I swallowed, "Yes, but… a _month_…"

"You just said-"

"I know what I said," I sighed, "Alright. It's a good idea, but if I just can't bear it any longer-"

"I think we can do it," she beamed, "I believe in us."

"I had to go without your love for years though," I groaned slightly, gently reaching out to touch her cheek.

"And remember how amazing that first real night together was?" she insisted, "This will only be an echo because it's a month, but god _damn_ will it be good."

I nodded again and kissed her hair, "Alright, alright."

She gently reached out and held my hand and we walked into the kitchen together, her smiling like she really hadn't in ages. I was allowing myself the first glimmers of hope that she would be all better again.

Planning for the wedding, however, consumed our thoughts for the next month, and it wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. While she wasn't bridezilla, she was stressed over everything- the money factor (though we had more than enough for it,) the fact that we had to leave behind her American friends, who to invite in the UK and how to place them, the strangeness of the Dragon riding customs in relation to the wedding, She didn't want to give too much away to me- the element of surprise and all that- but I could tell that she just needed to sleep most, if not all, of the time.

I wanted her to relax; she was under enough emotional pain as it was; but she wouldn't hear of it. There were days when I thought that she would explode from stress and anxiety; others when the lines in her forehead were so creased I wanted to kiss them away. She was a wreck, and I knew it wasn't only from planning. She hid this particular fact very well.

A week before the wedding, as Maggie and I began to panic as to what to do with the twins whilst we were away, a godsend came in the form of Harry and Ginny. As we were all sitting together discussing the various plans for the wedding, Alice came running in, her shoulder length hair tied into two short side braids by her mum.

"Dad? Mum?" she asked cheerfully, "Can you tell Nate he is wrong?"

I turned to look at her, struck as always by her similarity to me, and replied, "Why?"

"He thinks we are going to come with you on your honeymoon, because we can't be left alone. However, I _know_ we can, and I feel you will leave us at home, because you need some well-earned alone time," Alice stated matter-of-factly.

"We don't really know what we're going to do yet-" Maggie sighed, another wrinkle appearing on her forehead.

"We do," Ginny laughed, "It's about time we gave you our surprise."

"What?" Maggie and I asked her in unison.

"Gin and I were going to take the twins off your hands for the two weeks you're in Italy," Harry explained with a smile, "Lord knows, that means they can visit Teddy and Victoire a lot, and they enjoy playing with James, Albus and Lily. At any rate, we certainly have the houseroom."

"You would seriously do that?" Maggie asked breathlessly, "Oh, _thank you_, guys."

"Our pleasure. Enjoy the alone time," Ginny beamed slyly, "Though, don't think we'll be doing this often, especially if you add, what, seven more kids at once?"

"God forbid it's that many at one time," she groaned, but I chuckled. While it would probably be a difficult situation, the idea of having any number of children just- well- it made me very happy. Seven is better than none (and I really didn't mind that many at once.)

Alice, next to us, was beaming widely at Harry and Ginny, and skipped off to relay the news to her brother as we returned to discussing the wedding.

The day came, and everything was just as chaotic as was expected. Maggie spent the day getting ready with Ginny, Hermione, Lavender and Parvati, so I hadn't seen her for twenty four hours (I slept over at Harry's.) I was filled with intense anticipation for the day- my heart was sort of beating strangely.

"Calm down," Harry grinned as Ron, Seamus and Dean entered the house and I continued to pace back and forth.

"Something is going to go wrong. I guarantee it. Something really horribly wrong is going to happen and we won't be able to get married… again," I moaned, my worst fears bleeding through my psyche.

"You need to calm down- nothing is going to get in the way this time, I swear. Why would anyone want to stop you two from getting married?" Ron laughed, "That is one of those things that indicates suicidal wishes."

"But…. Everything has gotten in the way so far. Everything and everyone. Anything that could go wrong did go wrong," I sighed in exasperation, banging my head against a nearby wall, "Something will go wrong today."

"We have every detail planned out to a t, even if you do not know the exact plans," Harry grinned, "You really do not have to worry about it. I promise. She will be there."

"What if a Unionist comes to attack us?"

"They aren't letting anyone in from America anymore," Harry frowned, "Maggie and the twins were a special case. The borders are tightly closed to everyone with an American passport."

I felt my eyebrows raise, "But things are getting sort of hairy over there- what if someone needs to come here as, say, a refugee?"

"Refugees are mainly going to Canada and Mexico, from what I understand," Harry responded, "The government over there didn't want to send them too far away, so that less of an area is affected by the Unionists. From what I understand… the violent factions are gathering bigger factions in Mexico and Canada anyway, which is bad for the refugees but if the factions are following the refugees…"

"They need to be sent farther away than that, like to Japan or Australia," I frowned anxiously, "Maggie's friends…"

"All who are left over there are fighting, remember? They would be followed to Mars," Harry rolled his eyes, "Just relax."

I felt the ghost, the shadow of a worry light at my heart, but it was a stupid one. An unlikely one. I couldn't shake the image out of my head though: there he was, his dark hair across his face, standing in the middle of the field, looking at my bride with eyes filled with lust and her running forward to him, picking him over me.

But he was dead.

This couldn't happen.

She would never choose such a man, even if he was there with her during the darkest days, even if he was the reason she didn't go catatonic until the end, even if he was the reason (besides the kids) that she kept fighting- no. Even without the magical connection… No. She would never choose him.

Thank god for that magical connection though… without it…

No, she would have chosen me anyway. There would never have been a choice. What Jethro?

I continued to pace around the room until it was time to go, beads of sweat on my forehead, my heart racing. This was it. This was the moment that I had anticipated for over ten years. Nate was next to me, grinning at me lopsidedly, his face obviously contorted with similar excitement.

The field was wide and open and the snow crunched beneath our feet. There were no clouds in the sky above and the sun actually shined brilliantly for the winter. I stood there, looking around as every began to take their seats in the crudely fashioned stands, Seamus behind me and patting me on the back. There was no sign of the bridesmaids, the rest of the groomsmen, or either of the dragons (much less Mags.)

I fidgeted around in my spot, nervousness coursing through me as I waited. Suddenly, an earthly, otherworldly music started playing. I remembered Maggie's descriptions of the music of the Unionists and I began to panic, my hand flying towards the pocket of my robes to grab my wand, my left palm already out and facing the world.

But the procession started soon afterwards and I realized that the music was actually the wedding march, one of the many secrets about the strange dragon rider wedding that Maggie had kept from me on purpose. The music was celtic, but also very gothic, and it sent chills through me that were both pleasant and unearthly.

The music grew steadily louder as the first people emerged: Nate and Victoire arm in arm, both laughing and grinning as they came to stand in front. Behind them were Alice and Teddy, Teddy's hair a Thailus shade of blue that was almost exactly the same shade as the TARDIS (I needed to stop watching muggle telly sometimes.) Behind them were Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Dean and Lavender, and Parvati. They all coalesced up at the front and I swallowed slightly as the music increased in pitch.

Suddenly, the air around us began to rush past us, blowing through my (short, so this was an accomplishment) hair and tossing about my robes. Over the horizon, blocking out the sun, were two huge dragons. One, bright green, dropped to stand behind me, her vivid eyes piercing through the landscape. The other, brilliant TARDIS blue, sailed through and landed a ways off. I felt my heart pounding against my sternum and I wanted to throw up a little bit.

A figure slid off the back of the dragon and they walked forward together, slowly due to the need to follow a human pace. Her dress, I could see from this far away, was just as brilliant of a blue as the dragon's hide. Everything within me was tense and I wanted to run forward to hold her so no one could take her away from me again. She continued to walk forward, her dress fluttering in the wind in such a way that all I could think about doing was spinning her around so it would also spin and spin. I wanted to hold her closer to me than I had ever held her before. As she got closer and I could see her eyes, I felt like the world was on fire- legitimately. Maybe it was the dragon thing.

She came up to me and smiled at me beneath her curtain of hair, her eyes a brilliant teal and her hair the darkest brown. I was amazed with how she could still enrapture me after all of these years. She beamed at me, a genuine smile on her features, such a rare sight these days.

Thailus padded behind her and slowly came to stand near us, humming softly in deep and dulcet tones. Maggie came up and stood facing me, and I instinctually reached out to hold her hands in my own. She smiled at me knowingly and I did my best to not reach out and hold her to me.

The wizard behind me cleared his throat and, his American accent mildly startling, began, "Dearly beloved…" I swallowed and half listened to the words, half paid attention only to Maggie's soft oval face, brilliant teal eyes, dark brown hair. I couldn't get over any aspect of her standing before me.

"And in accordance with the ancient and noble order of those who bind their life so intimately with that of a dragon, you must now exchange blood, so that you may have the deepest bond possible that can compare to that she has with her dragon. For it has been said, that no bond should be deeper than that of husband and wife, and yet, here we have that of dragon and human being far deeper…" I didn't hear the rest of the explanation. I felt my eyes widen slightly as i stared at her. She blushed slightly and grimaced at me.

I was handed a needle by the wizard once he had finished explaining, as was Maggie. I grimaced and pressed the needle into my fingertip, feeling an acute stinging sensation.

"Your blood is being infused into the tip of the needle," the wizard responded to my unasked question, "Do not be alarmed."

I swallowed and handled the now bright red needle to Maggie, who took it and handed me hers. I followed her lead and pressed the needle into the hole I had just punctured, but instead of being stung by the contact, a calm and pleasant sensation ran through me as the microscopic blood cells flowed into my own streams. I swallowed as I felt the tingling sensation reach out through my finger and I felt inexplicably bound to the woman standing in front of me. It was as if something of her had replaced something of me. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply.

"Now, you each must bear the mark of the other. What I mean is, change something in your appearance to match something of the other's. Simply say aloud what it is, and I shall wave my wand over you, and you shall bear the other's mark," the wizard continued. I swallowed, but before I could think of something for me to take on of her (I wished to only have her scars from her time here in the war,) Maggie looked me straight in the eye.

"The scar on your torso," she whispered softly. I felt my eyes widen as the wizard waved his wand over her and she knelt forward, crying out in pain as tears of the emotion appeared in the corners of her eyes. I reached out to hold onto her, shocked by pain this was causing her, until her breathing evened and she sat up and looked at me, nodding. I swallowed. I, too, wanted to bear her scars. But no one of her scars added up to the monster she had taken from me, and what I really wanted was to bear the pain she had experienced over the past ten years.

"Does it have to be physical?" I asked the wizard calmly.

"Well, no, but that's the convention-"

"I wish to feel the emotional burden of the past ten years," Neville whispered, "I wish to take that from you."

The wizard frowned and Maggie opened her mouth, presumably to stop me, when the wizard waved his wand over me and it hit me like a ton of bricks. The sadness, the hopelessness, the anger, the fear- all at once, and in droves. I fell to the ground and clutched at my chest, groaning with the force of the emotion, and it seemed to go on for ages as I felt Maggie's hand on my shoulder. When I opened my eyes, I looked at her with the deepest respect and understanding I had ever felt in my life. She helped me up, concern in her eyes, and only convention kept me from kissing her passionately.

The wizard stared at us as if we were alien and continued, "Now, you must sing the song of the dragon… It is a song we all naturally know, but we just do not know we know." When he finished speaking, Thailus started to hum, as did Emralda. The tune was earthy, airy, ethereal, natural, and it sent chills through me. Maggie, after a time, started to sing along, and I followed suit, the words coming to me without ever having heard them before. Nor did I understand them; they sounded Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Latin, Greek, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Native American, tribal African- every ancient language I had ever conceived of. I held tightly to Maggie's hands as we sung, our voices gathering volume and intensity until, naturally, the song ended, and I felt a magic between us like high wind and swirling currents of water. I swallowed and looked at her and she smiled at me lopsidedly.

"Now, the bonding by words," the wizard continued, "Do you, Margaret Natalie Johnson, take Neville Richard Longbottom to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for better or for worse until death do you part?"

"I do," she whispered, looking up at me and smiling through tears in her eyes. I beamed down at her.

"And do you, Neville Richard Longbottom, take Margaret Natalie Johnson to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, for better or for worse until death do you part?"

"I do," I insisted through my own tears, squeezing her hands excessively tightly.

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the wizard announced. I swept her up in my arms and kissed her passionately, very aware of the fact that we were now two versions of the same person, united completely, no longer separate entities. And, somehow, the thought made me ecstatic.

Everyone behind us cheered at the tops of their lungs as we pulled back from each other, her still curled up in my arms. I beamed at her and she beamed back, tears flowing furiously down both of our cheeks. I reached down and lifted her up in my arms, pressing my nose to hers as we ran down the aisle. Thailus flew to the end of it, smirking at us, as Maggie buried her fingers in my hair and kissed my furiously.

"Honestly," Thailus commented as we sat on his back and started to fly to the reception area, "Would you two just unplaster yourselves from each other now please?"

We both laughed in between kisses and managed to throw out, "No!" effectively shutting him up.

The reception went by in a blur of people congratulating us, dancing with each other and goofing off with the kids, and just pure bliss before we found ourselves with our luggage about to apparate to Venice, Italy.

"We'll miss you mum," Alice and Nate cried softly as we gave them hugs, Ginny and Harry standing respectfully away, "And you too, dad."

"Yeah, I'll miss you loads dad," Nate sobbed, looking up at me sadly.

I chuckled softly and kissed him on the forehead, "We're only going to be gone for three weeks, son."

"Still!" Nate cried, "We'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you too," I smiled at the two kids, amazed that I had produced such miracles, that _we_ had, "I'll miss you both a lot. Have fun with Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, and all your cousins."

"Teddy's going to visit a lot!" Alice beamed, "I can't wait. I love when he changes his hair color."

"Don't treat him like a circus act," Maggie sighed, ruffling her hair, "But enjoy yourself."

They both nodded and we kissed them once more, before spinning on the spot. Customs flew by, and we found ourselves in the middle of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, alone together at last.

"See?" I beamed at her as I reached to help her out of her wedding dress, trailing kisses down her neck as she breathed deeply and evenly, "That wasn't such a long wait."

"And now we'll never be separated again," Maggie nodded, smiling at me and pressing her nose to my cheek as I tucked strands of her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek, "We are the same, now."

"You could have warned me about all that," I grinned, "But it was a beautiful thing."

She grinned back at me slyly and captured my lips in hers without another word. And she was right- it was bloody freaking brilliant.

AN: I might be back for a week? It's our fall break so I won't be as swamped, but I still have a lot of work to do. I apologize for the fluff, but sometimes we all need a fluffy chapter. So yeah. I'll try to update but again, I like having four reviews per chapter (I understand everyone is just as busy as me,) but hopefully I'll finish this story over my Christmas holidays. If not… the summer isn't THAT far away… Sigh. Thanks to IloveNerds543, Bubbles of Ebil, lilyllama, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, Royal shadow1, Claire, and TheGabification (same as Bubbles of Ebil lolz.) Dunno if I've replied to your reviews seeing how long it's been… ah well. Four reviews/ample free time required for the next chapter, when the drama begins! Woo! Love y'all, thanks for your patience through this time of my life commonly known as… college… as a science major… Um… Yeah….


	39. Ch 2: Resentment

Ch. 2: Resentment

_I know your life is empty  
And you hate to face this world alone  
So you're searching for an angel  
Someone who can make you whole  
I can not save you  
I can't even save my self  
So just save yourself  
~Save Yourself by Stabbing Westward_

AN: Apologies for the F bomb… haha

Months and months went by of the same thing, our family living in bliss in our cottage in Hogsmeade. We didn't change much, worry much, or ponder much. We just were. The twins turned ten, and I was hit with a panic attack of realization when I knew that, soon, they would be going off to Hogwarts just down the bend.

Though I was eager to add to our family right away, Maggie was weary about the prospect, still healing after her war in the States and still unwilling to have seven children at one time. Not that I didn't understand, but I cannot lie and say I wasn't impatient. I hadn't had much to do with the raising of Alice and Nate and I was eager to be a more active parent (though it hadn't even been my fault that I hadn't been involved.)

Finally, one humid and sweltering summer afternoon, as I was trimming some of my plants behind the house and marveling at their growth, she came out of the house with her arms folded across her chest. I didn't even have to see her, hear her, smell her (if you will) to know she was there- I just _knew_. Her soul was now apparently an extension of my own and I could feel her presence behind me before any of my other senses could catch up. I had known where she was in the house beforehand, too- wandering about, playing with the twins, reading her book, mixing a potion. And I knew she knew where I had been as well.

"Hey Nev?" she called out unnecessarily; I turned around and smiled at her, walking over with my arms out.

"Uh-uh," she grinned cheekily at me, eyeing my hands, "Not with those filthy paws of yours."

"Oh come on, it's just a bit of dirt," I laughed, running up to her. She squealed in an uncharacteristically girly manner as I chased her, finally enveloping my arms around her in a hug that she ended up not trying to fight at all. She sighed softly and looked up at me sadly.

"What's wrong love?" I asked softly, brushing the hair out of her face.

"Nothing… Well… yes," Maggie paused, "Of course there's something wrong but… There isn't much you can really do about it."

"Why don't you tell me? I'll try and help," I reassured, taking her hand and sitting with her on a rock nearby. There wasn't much room for the two of us, so she shifted and sat in my lap. I wrapped my arms around her as she rested her head in the crook of my neck.

"I feel… I feel very guilty," she paused, swallowing as her cheek tickled my skin lightly, "I… I have everything I've ever wanted in the end… I have my family, I have my home, I have my friends, I have my job, I have you… but…"

"But what?" I asked quietly, gently touching her wrist.

"But… I left behind so many people in the States," she sighed, resting her nose to the underside of my chin, "Everyone there is still in danger. The war gets worse every day. And… And my sister…"

"Ah, yes," I nodded, tightening my hold around her, "Your sister."

"Yeah… I wish… I wish I knew she was safe. I wish I knew where she was. It's too much to hope that I could get her over here, but at least I could know that she's OK and managing… I want to talk to her again," Maggie clutched to my shoulder as she fought back sobs, "I want to know that at least one member of my old family is still… around…"

I nodded in understanding, leaning close to her and gently wiping away the tears from her face, "I understand. I wish I could help… I wish I knew where she was, too."

"Jethro said she was alive… or that there was no evidence to the contrary," she sighed, the name Jethro piercing my heart like it always did, "I suppose I should just take comfort in that reassurance, but it's hard when the last I saw of her was her being dragged away in the middle of the night to god-knows-where…"

"There's no use dwelling on it extensively, sweetheart," I murmured softly, lifting her chin so she would look at me, "There's nothing you can do, as you said. Better to count your current blessings and be happy with the miracles we have here- each other, our safety, the children, our friends."

"You're right," she mumbled, nuzzling my neck softly, "Of course you're right."

I pressed her closer to me and closed my eyes tightly. Tomorrow, I would be on a mission - a mission to finally bring the remaining pieces of her life back together.

I waited patiently until the children were upstairs, playing their games and reading their books before bed, before I went up to Maggie and gently touched her on the arm. Though we were constantly aware of the location and the presence of one another, it still felt rather rude to just assume she knew I was there.

"Yes?" Maggie asked softly, looking up at me with a smile.

"I have to go on a trip, tomorrow, for the Ministry," I responded quietly, gently taking her hand and frowning apologetically, "Even though I'm not working for them anymore, Kingsley asked me to go to Asia to meet with some wizards and witches there, to discuss new plant findings in the Himalayan areas. I'm sorry it's such short notice- hopefully I won't be gone long, but…"

"Don't worry about," Maggie answered promptly, though I could feel (ghostly) her anticipation of future pain through our link. I knew perfectly well to worry about it. She still didn't do well sleeping on her on, or being separated from me for long periods of time- and I admit to still not being able to cope with the latter well at all. However, it had to be done. I had to find Elena.

I packed a rucksack with necessary supplies as Maggie went to tuck in the kids, unwilling for her to see exactly what I was packing and to see that I wasn't going to any research conference. I felt nervous that she would, somehow, figure out what was actually going on through our link as we lay curled up together that night. If she had noticed, she didn't say anything, and hugged me tightly goodbye with no extreme worries for my safety in her mind.

"Keep in touch, hun," Maggie murmured softly in my shoulder, "And don't do anything stupid."

"Never," I smiled and kissed her forehead, "I'll be home soon."

She nodded and let go of my hand reluctantly so I could apparate to the Customs office. I went through the motions, possessed by some feeling of determination, as I reached Japan.

I knew none of their language, but I knew where I wanted to go- the Japanese Dragon Rider League office. Yes, I had done my research and found out what it was called. I asked around the magical customs office, anxiously trying to find an English speaker who actually knew what I was talking about. I went through so many people I knew I was starting to look haggard, stressed, agitated. I felt like I was going to start pulling out my hair and it didn't help that I was so far from Maggie that our link was very faint.

Finally, I found a man with a dragon tattoo on his forearm, who pulled me aside after overhearing my rushed question towards another man nearby.

"Why do you want to visit the League?" the man asked me calmly. He was shorter than I, so I tried to look at him in an intimidating manner (and, more likely than not, failed.) "I know your accent. You do not come from a country with dragon riding."

"No," I whispered, "But my wife does."

The man's eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath in with his nostrils. The action was disconcerting and I frowned slightly.

"You smell of dragon. That's why your accent confused me," the man frowned, "But you are not rider?"

"My wife and her dragon have an exceptionally close bond," I murmured calmly.

"You will bond, some day," the man declared, "Her link to her dragon is too strong to not compel you to do so. You will find a dragon, simply because you must."

I frowned at him, "Will you show me where the League is?"

"Why do you require it? Is your wife Japanese?" the man retorted.

"American," I spat back, now frustrated. The man's eyes softened in understanding.

"Are you looking for her? Did she get taken by the Unionists?" the man asked, "And you thought you'd come to the League because it is the strongest Dragon Riding group that does not have closed boarders…"

"The last part is correct, but it's not her that's missing," I paused, "She's back home, in Scotland… Safe. No, she… She was a huge member of the UDRA, she fought extensively against the Unionists. So… So her family was targeted and… And she wants to find her sister."

"So she sent you? A man without a dragon? If she is such a great fighter-"

"She didn't _send me_. I snuck off. Her life is so… exceptionally screwed up because she met me- I want to put it back together again. Will you help me or not, sir?" I finally asked, exasperated with the conversation.

"I will help you. Come," the man waved on and we walked down the streets of Tokyo, my lungs protesting against the endless smog. We eventually reached an old, run-down building in a very sketchy looking neighborhood.

"Here," the man nodded. I raised my eyebrows and watched as he placed his dragon tattoo against one of the building's windows and fell through. I went up to it, unaware of what to do, knowing that I didn't have a similar tattoo. I pressed my hand up to the glass, expecting to look simply like an idiot, when I fell through as well.

"I allowed you through," the man explained to my puzzled expression, "Follow me."

We walked through very neat, very white hallways. They were completely white, except for one thing- a very long design of a black dragon, spanning across the entirety of the top wall border. His head started at the entrance, and no matter how far we walked down the hallway he didn't seem to end. He even looped back around the other side and I figured his tail probably ended at the doorway as well.

We reached an office at the end of the hallway with a simple name plate in Japenese. I looked over at the man who opened the door and nodded at a receptionist inside. He said a quick succession of words, again that I did not understand, and I hesitantly stepped inside.

"You may see Mister Arai in a few minutes, sir," the receptionist said in perfect English, "You are very lucky he had no appointments today."

I nodded and sat down in a chair, wringing my hands in nervousness.

"I leave you here," the man I had encountered nodded at me, "You will speak with the head of the Department of International Dragon Riding, I believe you would call it. Good luck," and he left, without me even learning his name.

Ten minutes later, almost exactly by my watch, an elderly looking man stepped out, wearing robes of deep violet and supporting a very long grey beard and very long grey hair.

"What is your name?" the man asked calmly. I stood up and shook his hand awkwardly.

"Longbottom," I muttered.

"Mister Longbottom?" the man asked for clarification.

"Professor, actually," I felt a slight grin come up to my lips and I worked hard to contain it.

"Professor Longbottom," the man nodded, "I am Mister Arai. Who are you looking for?"

"My wife's sister," I sighed, "She's been missing for a very, very long time."

"I assume, from what Sato told me, she came over on one of the first refugee pilgrimages?" Arai asked.

"Yes, but she never made it to her destination. She was captured. However, we know from a man from the other side that she escaped, alive," I explained.

"Her name?" Arai furthered.

"Elena," I sighed, "Elena Johnson."

Arai's eyebrows raised up into his hairline and even the receptionist standing next to us looked shocked.

"The sister of Maggie Johnson?" Arai asked.

I nodded, feeling like he was about to tell me it was hopeless.

"You are married to her?" Arai furthered. I looked at him in puzzlement, nodding slightly.

"She is a legend, Professor Longbottom. Surely you know this," Arai paused, "She is known to all riders as the most powerful Rider to have ever been born."

I frowned, "She doesn't think that. Nor do I think she knows she is called this."

"Of course she does not know," Arai smiled, in an almost belittling manner, "Very few would admit to her that her power is greater than even she realizes. And you… You are her husband?"

"I think I've asserted this multiple times," I snapped back.

"You must forgive me," Arai paused, "There are legends surrounding her husband as well. But not what he has done, though that is well known," he smiled a little, "Cutting the head off of Voldemort's snake… But it is not what you have done, Professor Longbottom. It is what you _will_ do."

I narrowed my eyes, "Enough. Can you help me find her sister?"

"Her sister is most definitely alive," Arai nodded, "And I will help you find her. It will take some work, but she is on the continent. I believe she has taken refuge in one of the very few Asian countries that bans Dragon Riding, even Dragon Riders. One of our agents will have to help you."

"If you tell me where she is, I can get her on my own," I groaned, "I just need to know…"

"One moment," Arai raised his hand, going back to the office behind him. I folded my arms across my chest and watched the door in annoyance, angered by the extreme ambiguity and seeming divination obsession these people had. He came back out, a small stack of papers in his hand, and handed them to me.

"She is in the mountains of Hovsgol, Mongolia," Arai explained, "I believe she has been living there for quite some time. However, her location is undisclosed to most. Do not go looking for help. You believe you can find her on your own? Then do so."

I nodded, took the papers, and left the office. I didn't even pause for a moment as I apparated to the Mongolian customs office. Now, I was getting somewhere.

The countryside of Mongolia wasn't what I had in mind when I had packed, but luckily I was able to buy a tent and camping supplies from a trader in the capital. I dressed like I was off to dig up some sort of prehistoric skeleton as I left the marketplace, staring out at the hot sunlight and desert sand with annoyance playing on my features.

Apparation was limited in the country, and even if I could do it there as a foreigner I wouldn't be able to get where I was trying to go. The mountains were very, very difficult to apparate into and I found myself hitchhiking across the country, random muggles in their cars transporting me across the desert sand. I discovered much about myself as we rolled along- that I hated small talk with random strangers, that my accent was apparently fairly thick, and that I got carsick exceptionally easily.

Eventually, however, the cars no longer would go where I wanted to go . I found myself at the foot of a very tall mountain, with no way to get around it other than going up. I grabbed onto a large stick in order to use as a walking stick, and set out. My rucksack felt much too heavy and I wondered why I had packed so much into it as I clambered up the mountainside.

The rocks crumbled beneath my feet and the sun felt much too hot on my forehead, no matter how much sunscreen I slathered on. Everything hurt after a while and I couldn't seem to get myself up any higher. Hours had gone by, and I was exceptionally thirsty. So I turned and looked around for a cave in which I could rest for the night, one without too many bears. Finding one was the biggest victory of the whole day, and I managed to act like I was staying in a comfortable hotel room when I called up Maggie that evening and talked to her and the kids.

I was actually getting used to that little cell phone thingy.

I slept restlessly on the hard cave floor, and got up, not looking forward to another day of trekking. Everything still ached from yesterday's walk and the uncomfortable sleep. I needed to find her, soon, before I collapsed from exhaustion.

I kept walking on during the bright midday hours, constantly pouring myself another glass of water using the Aguamenti spell. I was glad I had packed as much food as I had, knowing I would not have been able to replenish it as easily. I continued on, down a valley, up a hill, across a gorge. I could feel myself losing some of the softness in my belly and it wasn't a good feeling, not in this way.

Once again, I had gotten through a gorge, and as I looked at my map I saw I was heading towards the rumored location of the refugee camp. I looked up and saw the brilliant sunset as I sat on a large bolder, and decided it was time to sleep again. I got up and walked towards the nearest cave I could find, curling up and hoping to get a better sleep this night than the last.

However, this was apparently a futile dream, as I woke up to an angry face peering down at me.

"Who are you, unwelcome stranger?" the man asked. He spoke English and had a Western American accent. I sat up and stared at him, angrily.

"I am Professor Neville Longbottom," I spat back at him, "And I am looking for my wife's sister."

The man glared back at me, "Who is your wife's sister?"

"Elena Johnson," I stood up, and glared at him from above. It suddenly occurred to me how much taller I was than the average man.

The man smirked, "You want her? Really? Alright then. Come on. And don't go sleeping in random caves. Most often we simply shoot without asking any questions, but I was feeling nice."

I glared at him and followed, angry and upset with the whole situation. I didn't know how long it would take for us to reach the camp, but I knew that I already wasn't going to be happy with whatever occurred. All I wanted was to make our family whole again- was this _that_ much of a crime?

We climbed through more and more mountains, the sun apparently deciding to bore into the backs of our necks and burn us down into the ground. I felt like I was going to collapse with heat stroke, but I continued on anyway, aware of how I really couldn't turn back now.

We finally reached a small valley, with tents set up all around. The caves surrounding the valley also seemed to be occupied, though I felt like the tents were reserved for the more monetarily fortunate. We climbed down the mountainside, and I felt that horrible feeling one gets when all eyes are on them as we finally reached the center. There was a large tent there, as well as many people milling about wearing various desert-ready robes. One looked at me and visually glared as I followed the man into the largest tent in the middle of the valley.

The tent, it turned out, was divided into many different rooms, blocked by walls of cloth. The man nodded to a very bulky looking wizard, who nodded back, as we walked through the makeshift hallway all the way down to the end, where a flap fluttered slightly in the breeze from the other wall of the tent. The man lifted up the flap and waved me inside, following quietly.

"If that's you, Geoffrey, I will kill you, understand?" a very rough, angry voice spat. I could faintly detect the voice of the young girl I knew so many years ago, however, it had deepened and sounded as if sandpaper had been rubbed across her vocal chords.

"It's Wilson, A, and B I don't think you'll want to do that, El," the man laughed slightly. Elena was sitting at a desk, staring at the opposite tent wall, not even turning around. I wondered, vaguely, why she would stare at a wall for so long.

"Wilson… Do you have them?" the girl asked quietly. I say girl because, suddenly, she sounded like the one she had been.

"No. I didn't get far before I found this man looking for you. I know the wall might be interesting, but I swear, he will be more so," Wilson soothed. His voice sounded less menacing than I had ever heard it.

Elena seemed to take a long time to turn away from the wall before she rotated in her seat. It struck me, then, how glazed over her eyes looked. It then struck me how many scars she had sustained, how she seemed to be dressed in very plain white robes, and how when her arms drew back from their sleeves I could see faint red lines.

I was starting to piece it together- the room in a seemingly public building, the very plainness of the room (there was a desk with rolls of parchment and a quill, a chair, a bed, a sink, and a cup next to the sink,) the cautious way in which Wilson talked to her- when her eyes narrowed and she struggled to stand up from her chair.

"You promised me pills, Wilson. I'm hallucinating again. The person you've brought in… I think it's Neville, my sister's fiancée, but that can't be true so can I just have the damn pills?"

"Elena, it is true- it's me, Neville," I whispered hoarsely.

Her eyes remained out of focus as she stumbled towards me, holding tightly to my wrist.

"Ne… Neville?" she whispered.

"Hey Elena," I smiled slightly, "I've come to bring you… well, not home, not to a place you call home, but… back with your sister."

Elena pulled back sharply, "She's still alive?"

"Of course," I murmured softly, "I wouldn't be here if she wasn't."

"I dunno, maybe you knew about the kids- you _do_ know about them, don't you?" Elena muttered, her eyes still glazed over, "Wilson! The meds!"

"Don't want to leave you two alone. You might get into one of your states. Geoffrey will be here soon," Wilson explained.

"Yes, I know," I paused, "But Maggie's alive, and she's recovering back home."

Elena drew farther away, not looking at me again, "She would be, wouldn't she?"

"She wanted to come find you, but she spent seven years in America after she lost you, fighting the war- she couldn't leave, period- and she's only been home with me for almost a year… She's only barely recovered herself and…"

"Stop making excuses," Elena said in a deadly voice, "She could have found me if she wanted to."

"But she _couldn't-_"

"YES. SHE COULD. BECAUSE SHE'S MARGARET NATALIE FUCKING JOHNSON AND SHE CAN DO ANYTHING, CAN'T SHE?" Elena screamed. I feared for my life as she lunged forward, her unseeing eyes rolling into her skull, her hair wild as she pulled at it and rushed towards me. "SHE'S THE MOST BLOODY POWERFUL DRAGON RIDER EVER AND SHE COULD HAVE SAVED ME IF SHE ACTUALLY GAVE A SHIT ABOUT ANYONE OTHER THAN YOU AND THOSE STUPID KIDS! BUT I, I AND DAD, WE WERE LEFT IN THE MOTHER FUCKING _DUST!_"

Wilson acted faster than I had ever seen anyone act, rushing behind her and restraining her, holding her arms behind her back as she struggled against his hold to claw at me. I stepped back in pure shock.

"Where the hell is Geoffrey?" Wilson groaned, "The meds won't do much _now_, what we need is an effing sleep potion-"

"I'm here, I heard the screaming," a tall, Arab-looking man walked in with a large potion in hand, "What set her off?"

"This gent. I think he's her sister's mate," Wilson nodded as Geoffrey force-fed Elena the potion.

"Jesus. You could have had some prudence in letting her see him, dude," Geoffrey groaned as Elena stopped writhing and crumpled forward into his arms.

"Didn't know who he was, did I?" Wilson glared at me as Geoffrey laid Elena on the bed, "Wouldn't have dreamed of letting him in if I did."

Geoffrey turned to me, looking sad, "Elena… is not right in the head…"

"I figured that out," I muttered.

"What's your name, again? I'm sure she's mentioned it but-"

"Neville. Professor Neville Longbottom," I muttered, "I just… Maggie… I wanted to make her family as whole as it could be- I didn't know- no one knew…"

"No, prof, I'm not blaming you," Geoffrey sighed, "How could you have known? Sit down. I'll explain everything while she sleeps it off. I put meds in the potion," he turned to Wilson, "So she should be calmer when she wakes up, maybe even able to talk to him."

"Sounds good. I'll sit here just in case," Wilson nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. Geoffrey took Elena's desk chair and I sat on the dusty dirt floor.

"Elena was tortured, extensively, by the Unionists," Geoffrey began, "Many of us were, especially those of us who had a Rider in the family. Everyone in this tent was tortured. It's the mental ward, of sorts."

"We don't have a real hospital, but by golly we have a loony bin," Wilson rolled his eyes.

"You know what they did to them. I'm amazed they aren't more crazy," Geoffrey snapped back. He turned back to me, "Almost every refugee camp has one, I hear. Anyway, she was tortured extensively- all forms of muggle and magical torture you can think of. I'm amazed she had the mental faculty to break out like she did! Then again, everyone here did… We're the strong ones, unfortunately. So many more were tortured… but were too crazy, too weakened, to break out."

I swallowed and looked over at her, thinking of how many cruciatus curses, water-boarding, rapes even, she might have had to go through.

"She went crazy, but she got out. She had heard, through rumors in the prison cells, of refugee camps in Mongolia. The closest of the few countries that banned Dragon Riders, period," Geoffrey grinned lopsidedly, "It's a very convenient thing, right now. There's a physical boundary on the country that makes all riders bounce back."

"So she headed for Mongolia, somehow," Wilson laughed, "She was in bloody Costa Rica, but she got here. Lots of half-crazed apparition and hand magic that nearly killed her by the time we found her in the caves. We had no clue who she was related to… but we knew we had to help her."

"Unfortunately, over her time in the torture chambers, she had hoped- hoped so much- that Maggie would save her. And Maggie never did," Geoffrey sighed, "So, her insanity eventually equated her torture and pain with Maggie."

"No," I whispered hoarsely.

"The first thing she said when she regained her faculties was, 'I will murder her, using all the pain I have, first by murdering her love, then her children, then her dragon, then watching her die in front of me from all the pain,'" Geoffrey paused, "We had to keep her locked up as we tried and give her enough therapy to go back to… sanity."

"This was almost impossible, many doctors said, simply because none of us knew her," Wilson sighed, "But, somehow, we did it. Well, as good as we could do it."

"She no longer wants to kill her sister, or watch her sister suffer," Geoffrey sighed, "But she is _furious_. And, if left alone with her thoughts, gets… violent."

"And she sees things she shouldn't see. Can't forget that," Wilson rolled his eyes, "And she tries to kill herself on a regular basis. Luckily, her sink will never, ever drip. Thank you, magic."

"This is good, though, that you came," Geoffrey paused, "Now we know that she still blames her sister, and can have triggers into violence, but… she didn't immediately try to kill you. This is excellent."

"How long has she been in the camp?" I asked quietly.

"About four years, I'd say," Geoffrey shrugged, "I'd just gotten here, and since I have basic healer training I've been working with her from the beginning. Needless to say, she hasn't liked me much either, but at least she doesn't loathe me like her actual psychiatrist, Dr. Truman."

"I got here a few days before she did," Wilson paused, "And I was the one who found her, being so easily adept with the mountains and able to climb around them. I've always been a scout. And, since I found her, I've… Well, I want to make sure she turns out OK."

"I… I came here with the intention of bringing her back to Maggie…" I whispered, excessively disappointed that I would not get to.

"I think you can," Wilson paused, "But it won't be easy. We have to make sure she won't be more than you can handle. It's hard to test for that without Maggie herself here."

"Maybe we should go back with them? Try and control the situation?" Geoffrey asked quietly.

"We can't, and you know that. It'll be easy getting Elena out of here, with her mental faculties. But we actually contribute to the community- we're needed. And very few of these people have places outside of Mongolia they can go to that are safe. So it's not like the colony will disappear. We have to stay," Wilson sighed.

"Couldn't we go for a little bit?" Geoffrey pleaded, "I know, this is my usual 'let's-get-the-fuck-out-of-here plea, but it actually would be… good."

"We know a lot about you, Neville," Wilson turned to me, frowning, "Elena talked a lot about what you and Maggie accomplished in the British Magical Civil War. Do you think you can handle her?"

"If I can't, I have loads of friends who can help," I paused, "No one wants to see Maggie hurt… They'll all contribute. Harry Potter, for example."

"Alright," Wilson turned back to Geoffrey, "You see? It's completely pointless."

"Even to bring her over there?"

"Even to do that. Come on, Neville, I'll show you somewhere you can rest. Then, when she wakes up, we'll try this again," Wilson waved me on, out of the tent and down to another one nearby. He showed me into an empty room, one a lot more ornate than the last (it had a mirror, for example.)

I sat down on the bed with my head in my hands. I didn't know what to do. Maggie would probably be more upset by the version of her sister I was bringing home… but I couldn't _not_. Not now.

A day went by in which I called Maggie and the kids, rested after my grueling trek, and tried to regain some confidence about the endeavor. No matter what, Maggie would be glad that I brought home her sister, that's all there was to it.

The next day, Geoffrey came over to lead me back to Elena, telling me they thought they had gotten her down to be more calm, but they were unsure of how she would receive me. I followed him carefully, cautiously, ready to run out of the room at any minute.

We went inside, and she was lying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with that blank stare I imagined on her face when she faced the wall of the tent yesterday.

"Elena?" I called out softly, walking in behind Geoffrey. She sat up, very slowly, and turned to look at me. Her eyes were slightly clearer than they had been yesterday.

"Hey Neville," she answered softly, looking down at her lap, "I'm sorry for almost killing you yesterday."

"Don't worry about it," I murmured, "Geoffrey and Wilson explained to me how you've been these years. I really don't blame you at all."

"You came here? All the way from… London?" Elena asked quietly.

"Actually, I live in Hogsmeade now, with Maggie and Nate and Alice. I'm a Professor up at Hogwarts," I smiled kindly at her.

"Scotland, then," Elena sighed, wring her wrist with her hand. Wilson sat next to her and gently removed the hand from the wrist, as if he were afraid it would snap the wrist clean off.

"Yeah. I came here from Scotland," I explained, "I came to bring you back, with your sister. She really, really misses you," I finished cautiously, drawing out every word looking for signs of newfound violence.

"She does?" Elena asked very, very mutely.

"Yes. Very much so. She still isn't completely happy because you aren't there, safe with her. She won't be until you are," I explained, "That's why I'm here. To get you back. To make her family whole again."

"She wants me back?"

"Of course she does!" I replied, adamantly, "She always wanted to find you, Elena. She spent years of her life praying that, somehow, the UDRA would find you again. She couldn't leave America because… well…"

"Why?" Elena asked softly.

"She… She was given an… _interesting_ assignment," I replied with bitterness in my voice.

"Do tell," Elena muttered.

So I explained about Jethro, and the twins, and the house arrest, all trying to not sound like I was insanely jealous and like I hated the kid. But I think I failed miserably, because she was laughing at the end of my tale.

"You're really jealous, aren't you, even though everything she did for ten years was so she could be with you forever?" Elena laughed, "That's hilarious."

"Shut up. He had a close relationship with my future wife and my son and even my daughter to an extent, of _course_ I'm going to be jealous."

"Well, dur, but you're forgetting that whole magical dragon rider connection thing. Don't worry, I think you're good. You married my sis, yes?" Elena paused after a while, looking at me thoughtfully with those exceptionally bright green eyes.

"Yeah… She cried for days because you weren't going to be there, by the way," I murmured.

"Well, you've been through all that crazy bonding shit. You're now two versions of the same person- which I've noticed, even now. You have a lot more fire in you than you did before. And I think the fact that you survived the desert says something too."

"Thanks," I whispered, again marveling at the change in my very DNA.

"But she cried for days?" Elena asked, very sharply.

"Yes," I affirmed, "I didn't know how to calm her down. It has been… really rough, piecing your sister back together. Not that she's worse than you, by _any _stretch of the imagination! But it's what I've had to deal with. She shut down often in the beginning, and there were many nights staying awake with her while she switched between crying and catatonia. But, I've gotten her back to almost normal. Almost. The only thing is you. She wants you back. She misses you more than I even thought was possible, and I can't just stand there and watch her sit on the porch and look off into the distance with your name leaving her lips in a sigh. Her family was torn apart by war- she's lost her mum, her dad, and she's basically lost you. She needs you, Elena, just as much as you need her."

Elena watched me for a long time, sitting on the bed, one hand kept locked down onto the mattress by Wilson, the other drumming against her knee. I was struck by the idea that I had seen her eyes before, on another person besides my son, but I couldn't think of whom. It was someone I had known for a very long time, I knew that much.

"Just think about it, El," Geoffrey offered, "I know it's a huge decision, because we've been taking care of you here and it's dangerous to travel that far for us, and you still have… issues… with the fact your sister didn't-"

"Shut up, Geoff," Elena paused, "You know what happened to me, in those dungeons, Neville?"

"I know the gist-"

"You know_ nothing_. Sure, Maggie went through a lot. She did. I'm not even going to try and argue that, what with the war in Britain and then all the loss and the pain and the separation for years and years and years. But she's still sane. You've admitted it. OK, so she has the occasional bouts of depression, big deal. Does she see things?" Elena snapped.

"No," I murmured.

"Does she see a man with a knife standing over her bed every night?" Elena furthered.

"No," I shook my head, sighing inside for my sister-in-law.

"Does she have such horrible nightmares that she can't sleep?"

"Yes," I snapped, "Of course she has those. _I_ have those."

"Can she hear the dripping of a sink without being set off? Can she function around her relatives without meds? Can she relax without a sleeping potion on a regular basis? Does she ever get set off into murderous frenzies? Does she have irrational hatred for the person she's closest to? Does she want to die? Well?" Elena demanded angrily.

"No," I stood up, sighing, "I get it, Elena. You're not ready."

"No, I'm ready," Elena stood up as well, much to Wilson and Geoffrey's dismay, "I'm ready to face her. I'm ready to go and be with my sister. But I want you to be very aware of what it's going to be like. It won't be easy, it won't be a fairy tale reunion, and you're the only roadblock if I get into a rage and try to slit her throat."

"I am completely aware," I whispered, "But if you really think, deep down, that you need to stay here-"

"I need to get help from a real, fully-qualified Healer that deals with mental maladies. Not Geoff, no offense," Elena nodded, "He's done the best he can, but he's more equipped to train with magical creature bites. That's his specialty. And we don't have very many other healers. I need professional help to get better and you offer me that avenue. And I don't want to spend countless more years cooped up in here, somehow missing my sister extremely though my mind fights against it. I don't want to sit here and wait for the war to end."

"So when do you want to leave?" I answered, nervous, but ready for the new turn of events.

"Whenever Geoff and Wilson are ready to escort me. I asked them to," Elena sighed, "I don't want to go and see my sister for the first time with only you standing between us, considering killing you will be killing her."

"You have extreme mental clarity right now, I'm impressed," I remarked, running a hand through my hair.

Elena laughed darkly, brushing aside her hair to reveal a jagged scar on her forehead, next to other more faded ones, "I'm on meds right now, hun."

It then struck me that, with the dark hair, the eyes and the scar, she looked a shitload like Harry Potter.

And the eyes were exactly the same.

**AN**: She's Baaaaack and she's got a new trick, Magical Trevor- I mean Magical Meg- oh whatever.

Hello! I have successfully survived my first semester of University and am ready to tackle the second one after a lovely, month-long vacation.

I'm hoping to finish this story in that month. It'll be a challenge, I'm completely aware. But I'll definitely get as far as possible. Also, this isn't the end for my version of the Potter-verse. No, after this story ends, I have more in mind, that don't deal with Neville and Maggie, but it's the same version where they live. What I mean is, I have my own take of how Albus Potter's Hogwarts years play out, and I will be writing that story, probably this summer. Dunno if I have more for you after that, we'll see. I'm constantly coming up with more Harry Potter stories and I love Maggie's character too much to not try and fit them in to the universe where she exists and can have cameos.

Also, newfound obsession- the Hunger Games. Yes, I finally read them. Oh My God. So good.

However, it struck me that Elena's insanity is a lot like… well, spoilers. But something in THG. So, disclaimer: Everything in this story was planned out when DH came out in 2007, two years ago, or last summer, but the plotline has not changed since the summer. So no ideas being stolen whatsoever.

Special Shout Outs tooooo: Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, Sexii-chan, BayleeJo, Talye Kendrin, and Royal Shadow1 (for the PM) Since we're all on vacation, could I get my four reviews for the next chapter perchance? I love getting feedback, ya'll know that :)

REVIEWS ARE AWESOME. REVIEW.


	40. Ch 3: Fissure

Ch. 3: Fissure

_Now it's your turn  
It's been years  
Since our luck ran out and left us here  
Like Broken Mirrors  
Ten million shards of glass and tears  
~Broken Mirrors by Rise Against_

We reached home much later than I would have liked, to be sure. Elena needed constant medication to be able to travel and not be set off by the constant stimulation. Even with the meds, she had to be put to sleep often with a sleep potion. Geoffrey and Wilson had to check in with the leaders of the colony often as well, so we had to take stops on our walk through Mongolia.

Finally, however, we reached the capital, where we apparated out and reached Japan, and then the UK. Somehow, we made it through all customs- don't ask me how, Geoffrey and Wilson spouted out some legal stuff that I didn't truly understand involving Elena's illnesses.

We apparated to my home and I first went to the house, Elena Geoffrey and Wilson waiting out in the Hog's Head. Maggie immediately threw her arms around me as I walked in the door, holding tightly around my shoulders and pressing her face to my chest.

"I missed you so much! I am so glad you're back. Why did it take so long for you to get home?" she said, very fast, as I sat down with her at the kitchen table.

"I… I lied to you, Maggie," I whispered very quietly, "The herbology trip was just a cover-up in case I failed."

"Wait _what_? You _lied_ to me? Where _were_ you then?" Maggie snapped, her eyes narrowing and her looking madder at me than I had ever seen her.

"I was in Asia- Japan, and then Mongolia, to be precise," I began cautiously, unwilling to get into a fight over this.

"Ok…" Maggie frowned further, "What were you doing there?"

"I… I was searching… for your sister…" I swallowed, looking at her hopefully.

Maggie's eyes widened exponentially and she stood up so fast I blinked and missed it.

"Is she here? Did you find her? You said you made the cover story in case you failed so I have to assume you didn't because you admitted it was a lie-"

"I did find her," I answered cautiously, "But she's not… the same."

"Of course she's not," Maggie snapped in response, "I've known that from the beginning. I want to see her."

"Maggie," I held her back as she stood up, "I don't think you should do that."

"Where is she?" she snapped, glaring at me in her _don't mess with me_ manner.

"She's at the Hog's Head," I answered with a sigh. She made a move past me but I held her back by her elbow, "Please don't go yet."

"I'm still mad at you, though you've done something wonderful," Maggie paused, "I wish you hadn't lied to me."

"You'd have never let me go, and I didn't want…" I swallowed, looking at her desperately, "I didn't want you to go, either."

She snorted, "Didn't think I could handle it?"

I gave her a look of annoyance, "Of course not. No, more like, I didn't want to be on the waiting end of that… it was selfish of me but I did it anyway."

Maggie glared still, "Well, then, that's why I'm still mad, you made me worry-"

"But you didn't know you were worrying!" I threw my arms up and she started to try and get past me, but I held her back again.

"Look. Listen to me. She's not ready to see you yet," I whispered.

Maggie stared at me in anger, "_Why_?"

"She's… Please, let me explain," I gestured to the chairs nearby, "Please."

Maggie continued to look at me through her narrow eyes before sitting down and folding her arms tightly across her chest. I sat down across from her and gently took her hand, unfolding her arms in the process.

"To begin with," I whispered, "You wouldn't have been able to go there anyway."

"Why?" she muttered angrily.

"Mongolia is magically restricted to only non-dragon-riders. If your blood is directly linked with a dragon, you can't enter the borders," I smiled slightly. Maggie snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Well, you didn't know that. But why can't I see her?" she demanded.

"She was tortured into insanity, Maggie," I whispered, massaging her hand, "She literally didn't know who she was at the end of it."

Tears came to her eyes, "Maybe I can help her remember-"

"Not that kind of not knowing," I sighed, "I mean, she didn't know… well, to give you an idea, her immediate wish was to hurt _you_ in the worst possible way, by killing me and the kids and Thailus and forcing you to watch."

Maggie's eyes widened and she stared at me in shock, "No, that's not possible."

"I'm telling you, Maggie, that's what she was like at first," I insisted, "She associated all of her pain, her loss, her torture with you- _blamed_ you for it- even though she should never have- and eventually something broke, her ability to filter, her ability to distinguish right from wrong-"

Maggie let out a sob and held her face in her hands. I could feel her heart break, literally.

"She was like my twin, Nev!" Maggie sobbed, looking up at me with bloodshot eyes, "Like my twin!"

I reached over and rubbed her back, "She's better now. These two gents who found her- Geoffrey and Wilson- have been working tirelessly to get her back to who she was. And she is… mainly. She still blames you for everything, but she doesn't want to kill you… I think. She tried to kill me when I first saw her but that was after some discussion, and she had gone a really long time without her meds. The meds are key," I sighed, "The meds and the sleeping potions when the meds won't calm her down."

"What's wrong with her, besides her rage?" Maggie whispered.

"She has hallucinations, sometimes," I muttered softly, "And she has bouts of suicidal tendencies."

Maggie let out another sob and curled up in the chair, "My sister!"

"I know," I squeezed her shoulder and pulled her closer to me, "Maggie, I _know_. But I couldn't not bring her back, or tell you-"

"No, I'm glad you did," Maggie hiccupped, "Oh god… what are we going to do? She's right. She's absolutely right. It's my fault-"

"How?" I snapped, angry that she was going to talk like this. Any sane person would know there was nothing she could do.

"I should have left American, I should have asked for permission to rescue her, I should have gone looking for her the moment I was let out of the country, I should have insisted the UDRA worked harder to find her-"

"There was no way they could have found her when she was with the Unionists- you guys _still _don't know where their headquarters are, and you couldn't have possibly left, they needed you on the front lines. The UDRA had to put their men where they were needed most, and that was fighting the Unionists out in the open. When you were let out of the country you were a nervous wreck, previously catatonic, and I had to take care of _you_ and make _you_ better, remember? It's not like you don't have your mental issues! You had to take care of yourself first, and after that there was the wedding- but you worried about her, the whole time, when there was no way you could have left the country without being immediately targeted and brought down by the Unionists. You did what you had to do to survive, and for your children to survive, and to bring your family back together. It is _not your fault_ what those _bastards_ did to her. All you can do now is make sure she realizes that you love her, and that you did everything you could in trying to _bring them down_," I shouted, angry beyond belief.

Maggie looked up at me in shock and I continued to glare down at her. I could hear the footsteps of Alice and Nate as they crept down the steps to listen to our conversation.

"Nev-" she whispered.

"Maggie, you can't blame yourself for this. You blame yourself for too much, needlessly I might add, already and I can't stand for you to blame yourself for this as well. It's not your fault. Please don't make it your fault, what she needs to hear is that you did what you could," I begged.

Maggie nodded, "I can't help but blame myself-"

"At the very least, don't say so around her. I'd rather you didn't at all, but if you must…"

Maggie nodded again and whispered hoarsely, "OK."

"I love you," I murmured and knelt in front of her, "And I did this so you could have as much of your family back as possible. I hate that it's bringing almost as much pain as it was supposed to solve."

Maggie leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, "I know. And it's not your fault. Thank you, for finding her."

I gently grasped her arm and stood up, holding her hand and walking to the front door with her. She squeezed my hand and physically braced herself as I opened the door.

"Just be gentle. No sudden movements, no loud voices. Don't bring up the subject of her torture and imprisonment unless you have to. Just small talk, how much you missed her et cetera. OK?" I advised. Maggie nodded again as we walked down the street, children running about around us and shopkeepers sweeping the sidewalk in front of their stores.

We finally reached the Hog's Head and entered quietly, ignoring the greetings of people around us as we walked towards the back room, where once we would emerge from a portrait of a young girl. Back there was Hannah Abbot, serving coffee to Geoffrey and Wilson while Elena stared at her fingernails. Maggie breathed in sharply next to me and I squeezed her hand, trying to calm her down.

"Hello Elena," Maggie whispered hoarsely, her slight British accent coming into sharp relief. I only ever noticed it in situations like this, when she talked to her American family, because it pointed out how much she had changed from them since meeting… well, me.

Elena smiled thinly, "Hello Maggie. Long time, no see."

"Yeah," Maggie choked out. I squeezed her hand tighter as she continued with, "I missed you."

"That's nice," Elena continued to smile slightly, "So Neville's told you I'm a crackpot?"

"That's not-"

"Well, I am," Elena laughed, "Completely different. Completely insane. Not unlike yourself after you came back from the UK eleven years ago."

"Elena…" Maggie sighed, looking completely helpless.

"I mean, you weren't _clinically_ insane, but you had done such a one-eighty personality change it felt like an onset of insanity. And I hear you went actually insane after I left. Excellent. Our parents must be so proud of us up there, huh?" Elena laughed again, so humorlessly I flinched.

"Elena, they _are_. Look at how you've survived-"

"Yeah, I broke out of a prison because I went crazy and couldn't control my magic anymore. After all, there are only so many times you can be put under short successive bursts of the Cruciatus curse. I mean, you'll go insane, like if it were just one long stream, but you'll still be cognizant cause you're given those short little moments of freedom. And then there's the water boarding. _That_ was fun. Muggles are evil too, turns out. And you know how you got raped when you were here that one year? Yeah, I've had so many men forcibly have their way with me, to break me, I feel like a street corner prostitute sometimes. Oh, and I'm suicidal because they loved to cut my wrists- it was the least painful way of torture, in the end, and since everything became pain in the end I came to see as those particular sessions as pleasant. However, I just don't know when to stop, since the blood flow I've associated with pleasure and such. Oh, mom and dad are _so mother f***ing proud._"

"Elena!" Maggie sobbed. She made a move forward, as if to hold her sister, but I held her back gently.

Elena laughed humorlessly, "So, I figured at one point, a good burst of magical energy would kill me, and it would all be over, right? But instead it just got me out of there. At least it was all over, but then I wandered around Russia for _ages_ until I reached Mongolia and collapsed. And the entire time, I was thinking, I supposedly had a sister- who had friends, a lover, children, colleagues- who could have saved me. Who had the means, the power to save me. Why didn't she? Why didn't she come to Russia and save me from those evil people, since it was her fault, and her job's fault, that I was there at all?"

"Elena, I wanted to, I really wanted to-"

"That's really funny, because when I really want something, I usually go out there and get it, you know? And I mean, this wasn't like some sort of muggle technological toy that you really wanted. This was your sister, in known danger. Sounds like the kind of thing you'd go out and rescue no matter the cost," Elena laughed mercilessly, "I mean, I would have, before all this shit. I almost did, when you were in Britain that year. Dad had to come to school because I was caught trying to sneak out so many times."

"Elena, I tried, I did everything, but they needed me to fight the Unionists, I had no choice in what they assigned, and if I defeated the Unionists there you would have been freed anyway-" Maggie cried next to me. I squeezed her hand tightly still and wanted to pull her out of there, right then.

Elena was killing her without using any physical violence. I could feel it, acutely, through the link.

"No I wouldn't have. They talked about it, sometimes, since they knew you were working tirelessly to stop them. They said the first act if news ever got to them that the Unionists were defeated was to kill all of us. That would be first. And I would be the first to be killed, since I'm your sister. Do you realize how unlucky I am that I'm your sister? All this shit has happened to me simply because I share your DNA," Elena wasn't laughing anymore, she was shouting, trying to stand up as Geoffrey held her down surreptitiously.

"Well I didn't know where they held you, there was literally nothing I could have done, and I did the only thing I could-"

"YOU COULD HAVE NOT BEEN A DRAGON RIDER!" Elena screamed, finally standing up. Maggie took a step back and Wilson rushed over to stand between them.

"YOU COULD HAVE NOT BEEN A RIDER! YOU COULD HAVE NEVER WANDERED INTO THE DRAGON TERRITORY IN THE ROCKIES! YOU COULD HAVE NEVER HIT IT OFF WITH THAILUS! YOU COULD HAVE WALKED AWAY! YOU COULD HAVE FAILED AT DRAGON RIDING CLASSES IN SALEM, OR TRIED OUT A DIFFERENT CAREER, OR THOUGHT ABOUT A SAFER OPTION FOR YOUR LIFE! YOU COULD HAVE NOT GONE TO BRITAIN AND GOTTEN TACTICAL EXPERIENCE, YOU COULD HAVE STAYED AT HOME FOR A YEAR! YOU COULD HAVE NOT GONE TO THE UDRA BECAUSE YOU WERE KNOCKED UP! YOU COULD HAVE NOT EAGERLY ASKED TO BE ON THE FRONT LINES! YOU COULD HAVE PLAYED IT SAFE, REMAINED INCONSPICOUS, NOT BEEN AS SUCH A LEADER IN THE UDRA SO THAT THE UNIONISTS WOULDN'T SEE YOU AS THE BIGGEST THREAT! **YOU COULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THE SAFETY OF YOUR FAMILY LONG BEFORE THE FIRST F***ING UNIONIST EVEN APPEARED! YOU COULD HAVE!**" Elena roared.

Maggie had tears streaming down her face as she whispered, very quietly, "I know."

"Just think of how screwed up Alice and Nate are going to be! Losing their Grandpa and Aunt, not seeing their mum hardly at all and getting raised by a strange woman, meeting this man who acts like their father, who their mum is close to, but who their mum doesn't love and who isn't their actual father but could clearly fill the role in a normal world, losing that man too, losing their mum, and then getting translocated across the ocean and finally meeting their real father! Oh yeah, and then there's the whole issue of _having to pretend that they don't exist!_" Elena laughed, "But did you ever think of _them_?"

"THEY'RE ALL I THOUGHT OF, ELENA!" Maggie screamed back, fury now entering her at the accusation, "Everything I did for all those years was to keep them safe!"

"Everything you did was to _get back to Neville_," Elena snapped back, "Don't even try to pretend otherwise."

"When you were there! After you left, everything I did in relation to the war was for those kids. If I thought only of Neville, then I would have made their existence known, so the Wizengamot would realize that we had a family and let me back in! But I kept them secret so that the Unionists wouldn't target them like they targeted you! I learned from my mistakes!" Maggie yelled.

"Well I'm glad that you have your priorities. In the meantime, while you babysitted an emo Unionist brat, I was sitting in the hot Mongolian desert, living rough, getting attacked by Unionist supporters every other week-"

"Neville said Dragon Riders can't get into Mongolia," Maggie rolled her eyes, "Don't-"

"These were people applying to be Riders under Unionist contracts," Elena snapped back, "There's a shortage of dragons and very few people get to bond. You should know that."

"Of course I know that-"

"So Unionist supporters who want to be riders are sent out on missions, to eliminate the weak ones. Most are sent to Mongolia, and other refugee camps, to find us and bring us back to the torture centers. Most die because we are well fortified and the environments harsh, but those who survive get a dragon. Those who survive and bring back a refugee get the promise that they won't get experimented on," Elena smiled wryly.

"We captured one of them and this is what they told us," Wilson muttered softly.

"I didn't even know about that! The UDRA is so far in over its head-" Maggie sighed

"Then maybe you guys should have actually tried to think about how the war is affecting other countries!" Elena roared, "Every country in Asia and the Americas is affected by it, its chaos and death and despair and as far as I'm concerned, it's _your fault_ and the _UDRA's fault_ for not trying to come to a compromise with the Unionists!"

"You can say that after all they did to you?" Maggie screamed.

"Of course. _They_ just want to survive. _You_ just want everything to stay the same," Elena spat.

There was a period of tense silence. I wanted to bring Maggie back home so she could calm down and not overthink what just happened. I realized what a huge mistake it was to bring Elena back after I saw her condition.

"Did you become a British citizen?" Elena asked after a while, very quietly.

"Yes," Maggie answered, equally quietly, "After the wedding. Nate and Alice's applications are still ongoing."

"Did you drop your American citizenry?" Elena furthered, her voice so deadly quiet I wanted to pull Maggie out of there before she answered.

"Yes," Maggie responded again.

Elena spat on the floor. Maggie stared at it with tears flowing down her cheeks as Elena finally hissed, "You're no sister of mine."

I dragged on Maggie's arm and led her out of the room, out of the bar, out of the street and into the house. She sat right on the floor by the front door and began to sob as I sat next to her and wrapped my arms around her.

"Mum? Dad?" Alice asked nearby. I looked up, Maggie still sobbing into my chest, at our two kids standing there.

"Yes?" I responded softly.

"What's wrong?" Nate continued, looking upset at his mum's condition.

"Your Aunt Elena is back," I explained, "And very mad at your mum. They just had a huge row."

"Aunt Elena?" Alice snapped, "I thought she was lost-"

"I found her," I whispered, _and wished I hadn't_.

"Why is she mad at mum?" Nate murmured.

"Because she blames mum for what happened to her while she was lost," I explained, "But it's not your mum's fault."

Maggie sobbed harder into my chest as her way of telling me that, of course, it was her fault. But it really wasn't.

Nate and Alice nodded in understanding as the front door opened and Wilson walked in alone.

"Well, Geoffrey's calmed her down," Wilson paused, "Meds and potion. We're going to go to London and bring her to St. Mungo's. They'll treat her there, I already know. Geoff and I have to get back to Mongolia before we're missed too much, but we'll probably check in."

I nodded in thanks and closed my eyes.

Wilson came over and knelt next to Maggie, "Your sister is still in there, I promise. But Geoff and I can only do so much. She needs professionals who actually know what they're doing."

Maggie nodded in my chest. Wilson stood up and went to the door.

"It's not your fault, what happened to her. No one in their right mind would have gone looking for her, especially in your situation. Don't worry. She'll realize it soon enough," and Wilson left outside.

We didn't see Elena again for a long while. The next year passed, me teaching Herbology and Maggie helping to organize the UKDRA with Harry and Kingsley. Alice and Nate did their schooling and played around in the mountains outside Hogwarts.

On their birthday, May 17th, two letters embroidered in green ink came with an owl, just sent from Hogwarts down the street. I stared at the letters in amazement:

_Alice Melinda Johnson-Longbottom  
The second bedroom on the right of the bathroom on the upstairs floor  
Number 15, Hogsmeade Street  
Hogsmeade, Scotland, UK_

And

_Nathaniel Frank Johnson-Longbottom  
The first bedroom on the right of the bathroom on the upstairs floor  
Number 15, Hogsmeade Street  
Hogsmeade, Scotland, UK_

Maggie looked at me in amazement. I had also realized it was their eleventh birthday, but I thought I was going to have to beg their way in to Hogwarts. Both Alice and Nate opened their letters eagerly and started squealing, Alice grabbing Nate's hands and spinning him around, the letters lying on the kitchen table.

"WE'RE GOING TO HOGWARTS! WE'RE GOING TO HOGWARTS! WE'RE GOING TO HOGWARTS! WE'RE-" both sang in unison excitement. I reached out, laughing, and grabbed their shoulders to stop their dancing.

"Alright, alright, very exciting," I grinned and bent over to their height. Alice had shot up like a tree and Nate wasn't far behind her, so I no longer had to squat. Brown and green eyes met mine in expectation.

"We're going to go to Diagon Alley today to get your supplies," I smiled, "Lord knows, it's hardly a regular day that we go there-"

"Can we get pets? I want an owl!" Alice beamed.

"I don't need another pet, I have my toad," Nate frowned, "Can I get something else? Maybe some seeds to grow in the Greenhouses, with your permission of course Dad-"

"Definitely. It is your birthday. And you will be having ice cream," I smiled again, trying to contain my own enthusiasm, "Go upstairs and get dressed, and we'll go!"

"YAY!" Alice cried out and sprinted up the stairs. Nate beamed and followed. When I stood up and turned to look at Maggie, she was shaking her head in amazement.

"I can't believe they're already eleven," she whispered, "That's… insane."

I kissed her forehead softly, "They will be excellent at Hogwarts. I guarantee it."

Maggie beamed up at me and hugged me, happiness radiating from her like I had not felt in many years.

On September 1st, we decided to go the traditional route, though we lived next to Hogwarts, and sent the kids off on the train. Maggie then sat down to read at home as I went up to the castle, ready for the opening of the year feast, as always.

"Excited to see your own children sorted, Neville?" Hagrid asked cheerfully before going off to the boats.

"Excited? I don't think you can contain my enthusiasm," I grinned, "Try and find them!"

"Oh, I will," Hagrid chuckled as he thundered off. I sat down at my place at the Great Hall table, trying to hide my extreme grin so I would look like… an adult… in front of the students. Professor Flitwick chuckled at me from across the way, since I was failing miserably.

It was a clear day, and as such the kids came in dry and happy and excited, staring up at the sky in amazement. Professor Verity brought out the hat and set it on the stool, and I had flashbacks to my own sorting- of how I was absolutely convinced my future lay in Hufflepuff, of how shocked I was that Harry Potter was there, and of how I lost my toad. What an eventful day that had been.

I looked out into the sea of upperclassmen students and saw Teddy Lupin's bright blue mop at my own Gryffindor table. He grinned at me slightly. He was one of my favorite students and I knew how excited he was that Alice, Nate, and Victoire were in the crowd of first-years this year.

The sorting hat opened its mouth and sang the usual song about the difference between the houses and how it was his job to sort everyone. There hadn't been a warning since I had attended school, and it was nice and refreshing to hear the cheerful song again. 

Needless to say, it took a while for my children to be called up. Johnson-Longbottom was relatively low on the list. But when Alice was called up by Professor Verity, I leaned forward nervously in my seat. She was a brave girl, very headstrong- but she knew what she wanted from life. She had goals and she _would_ reach them. It was every possibility she would be put in Slytherin…

Not that it mattered, but I would have loved for her to be in my own house. What parent doesn't want that?

The hat went on her head, but my fears were immediately relieved as the hat shouted out very quickly, "GRYFFINDOR!" Alice let out a happy squeal and ran down to sit next to Teddy, giving me a thumbs up from the table. I smiled at her and nodded and turned my attention to my son, who had just been called up.

The hat took its time with him, and I was worried we had a hatstall. I sat there anxiously, annoyed I couldn't see my boy's face, as Alice frowned from the table and everyone waited in annoyance. After a while people started murmuring. It was rare that the hat took _this_ long. I was trying to remember what the protocol was for a hatstall when the hat finally opened its mouth. I held my breath and watched anxiously, remembering my own fears of Hufflepuff-dom, when the hat cried out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

I breathed a sigh of relief and Alice screamed out a cheer as her twin ran down to meet her and gave me a shaky smile. I knew I would ask later what had happened, but for now I allowed myself happiness at the event of _both_ my children getting placed in my house. I knew, if we had more (and gosh-darn-it we _would_ have more,) this was unlikely- but this was a wonderful start.

Victoire Weasley was last this year, and was also placed in Gryffindor. The four friends sat together and grinned over at me from across the way.

I couldn't believe my kids were in Hogwarts.

AN: There were only two reviews! This made me sad, so you get a shorter chapter. The next one's pretty short too. Please guys, four reviews. It's not a lot to ask for and I need to know people are reading this. Thanks. I want to finish before break but if I'm not getting reader response I don't know if I can, which means you'll have to wait a whole other semester to find out what happens. Special thanks to ArtFreak5199 and Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-Chan for actually reviewing. Come on, the rest of you. Let's review. Four for the next chapter… Or, you know, me just wanting to write rather than study Organic Chemistry, which is what happened here. But four will make me write, and you know it.

And if I don't get four before then- Merry Christmas! And happy holidays, of course. And a Happy New Year!

Now, REVIEW. It IS Christmas after all.


	41. Ch 4: Headaches

Ch. 4: Headaches

_A Promise of safe return  
I delivered  
But the ocean is wider  
Then I first guessed  
~Wait for Me by Rise Against_

I couldn't have been prouder of Nate and Alice at school. Nate was a natural at Herbology and was often seen in the greenhouses with me after classes, helping me tend the plants like I used to do with Professor Sprout. Alice was the most popular girl the school, which I found hilarious- she just attracted friends like flies. However, I knew the friends she was actually close to- the ones she could talk to about anything, the ones she considered _real_ and _substantial_ companions, were Teddy, Victoire and Nate. She also seemed to have a natural proclivity towards Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The fall went by in a very calm, normal routine. Maggie went to her work at the Ministry and I to my work at Hogwarts, and we came home and relaxed together in the evening. There was very little variation on that routine. The only variation came, in fact, was one morning in late September. Usually, we listened to the wireless together before I headed out to the school and she to the office, to listen for more news on the American war. The news was never good; however, she always seemed able to handle it. We would sit there, calmly eating breakfast, listening to the news of another battle lost by the UDRA or another leader killed by the Unionists.

That particular morning, however, the report was even worse than usual. Maggie gripped the tablecloth, not eating, as she stared at the wireless and the news that it held. I held her wrist, equally shocked as she.

"News reports today that a major portion of the United States has fallen to the Unionists. Unbeknownst to muggles, the country has been divided by wizards into two countries- the border, while officially recognized in the wizarding community, is completely unknown to the muggle world at large. The Unionist country spans the Western states from the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi river, as well as the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey are all rumored to be close to falling. Miraculously, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, West Virgnia and Virginia all seem to be holding strong, despite being either bordered by Unionist states or of important political significance for the country at large. In the meanwhile, major battles are being fought daily for control over the areas left to the UDRA and official American government. The UDRA forces are depleting majorly and major political leaders are being targeted-"

Maggie finally reached across the table and slammed on the wireless, shutting it off. She rested her head and arms on the table, sobbing hysterically. I rubbed her back, closing my eyes tightly. I didn't have anything comforting I could say at all and I accepted this fact.

"Massachusetts. I'm _from_ Massachusetts," Maggie hiccupped after a while, looking up at me.

"I know," I whispered, "Massachusetts hadn't fallen last we listened-"

"It was surrounded on all sides by New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire, all of which had fallen. I knew it was going to happen, but… I didn't… not so _soon_… I didn't realize how much the news would affect me," Maggie sobbed.

"I'm sorry, love," I murmured, kissing the top of her head, "I'm so sorry."

"I don't want to listen to the radio in the morning anymore," Maggie muttered softly.

"Then we won't," I agreed, "Then we won't."

And we didn't. Not during the whole month of October, the whole month of November. It was December when we finally turned on the wireless again, and that wasn't necessarily by our own choice.

We woke up on a morning in early December to find a letter, carried by Darwin, on our windowsill. It was strange, as most of our friend didn't send us letters much anymore- we lived here, after all. And all of Maggie's friends back in the USA hadn't been allowed to send letters out for a full year now, due to the increasingly awful situation over there. So it was exceptionally strange to see Darwin there at all.

Maggie sighed and stretched, looking at me in annoyance as Darwin continued to tap at our bedpost. He only did this when the letter was sent with a sense of urgency and seemed determined that we wake up just to open the damn thing. I groaned and reached over, ripping open the seal of the letter. There was no return address and the handwriting looked very formal and uptight.

I opened it and felt my eyes squeeze in pain. It was a very, very short letter.

_Dear Maggie and Neville, _

_Listen to the radio. I can't write it down, it's too painful. But listen. _

_-Elena_

"Who's it from?" Maggie asked as she got off the bed and pulled on her robe.

"Elena," I whispered softly. Maggie looked me, her robe half tied on, her eyes wide with shock.

"Wait _what_?" she whispered hoarsely.

"She wants us to listen to the wireless... I dunno how she figured we weren't but if she actually wrote us, telling us to listen…" I sighed.

"Why does she want us to listen?" Maggie snapped in annoyance.

"She couldn't say, apparently it was too painful. But she asked us to listen. Do you want _me_ to and then… if I know it'll be too much for you to hear-" I offered.

"No. We'll listen together. I owe my sister more than that," Maggie sighed. I held her hand and walked with her to where we had stored the thing, sitting next to it as I tuned in to the news.

"In case you haven't heard in the past few days, the United States Wizarding Government has officially fallen to the Unionists. All members of the UDRA have evacuated, including Miss Olsen. Dr. Tennys has been assassinated. All diplomatic connections to the country by the Ministry of Magic have been ceased, and sanctuary is being offered to certain members of the UDRA. Word of the Unionist's next move has not reached us, however, we ask that all remain calm-"

Maggie slammed off the radio again and looked at me in horror. I reached out and held her arm.

"Stay steady, Maggie," I whispered, "Breathe. Deep breaths."

Maggie tried, but her breathing was short and labored, her eyes were wide with panic.

"The Ministry is offering sanctuary- we might be able to get your friends here-"

"Did it fall because I left?" Maggie asked in hysteria, "Because I left, did the UDRA fall?"

"_No_," I hissed, "It is _not_ your fault. The UDRA held up for a long time after you left. Breathe. It is _not_ your fault. They just got too strong. It is good you and the kids got out when you did. Breathe. Breathe," I ordered. She tried to stop hyperventilating, but I could see in her eyes that it wasn't going to be good.

"El-Elena," she sobbed, "We should talk to her- see how she-"

"The healers told us to not contact her unless she contacts us…" I sighed.

"And she wrote us a letter-"

"I wouldn't say too much. Just how are you doing," I sighed, "I don't want to provoke anything, especially if she's recovering."

"You're right," Maggie's voice was still shaky as she pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. As it was Monday, she hadn't been in work the past few days and thus had not heard about this through anyone else. The shock was so strong I could feel it reverberate through me. I walked up behind her and rubbed her shoulders, resting my head against hers. She sighed a bit, but did not relax much, her eyes tightly closed in stress and worry.

"All my friends- Kylie, Richard, Ezra…" Maggie moaned softly as she rolled up the parchment.

"They'll have gotten out," I tried to reassure, but even I was unsure. They had probably been fighting on the front lines. The odds that they had gotten out before full takeover were small. But I hoped, I reassured, for her sake.

"Why the _f***_ did all this have to happen?" Maggie whispered softly as she sent out the parchment, looking at me sadly, "Why does my life have to be stalked by war all the time?"

"I dunno," I paused, "But I think you're safe, here. Yes, it's awful that you've lost your home, everything that you knew before coming here when you 18. But, here, they can't touch you. This country has nothing to do with your Unionist wars. You, the kids, Elena- all are safe. Britain is a safe country now that Voldemort and everything to do with him is gone. It'll all be OK," I reassured.

Maggie sighed and rested her head on my chest, "I love you."

"I love you too," I smiled slightly and patted her head, "It'll be OK. I promise."

She looked up at me, frowning a little, "My entire country just fell to an oppressive government."

I grimaced, "I didn't say _everything_ would be OK."

She let out a shaky laugh, "I know what you're trying to do."

I raised an eyebrow, "I'm not trying to do anything…"

"You're trying to make me feel better about… the world we live in," she seemed to struggle to get her thoughts out, and I could tell through our link how chaotic everything was for her at that particular moment. It was as if the entire ocean was spinning about in her head, converging into her thoughts and making it so crowded she couldn't focus.

"Yes, I am," I smiled slightly, "Isn't that my job? As your loving husband?"

"No, well yes, I mean…" she groaned, "You're trying to make me feel better about our world so that I would feel… safe… bringing more children into it. Because I'm constantly scared that Alice and Nate are going to get into a war, and I don't want to have that fear for… seven more kids. And I'm scared that they'll be conscripted into riding when it is not meant for them, or experimented on and killed. And I'm scared that they'll get caught up in some sort of neo-Voldemort thing and get killed by neo-Death Eaters or something. And I'm scared… I'm so scared… of some unseen force… I'm so scared about bringing more kids into this world that explodes into violence wherever I turn, Nev," she moaned. I brushed my thumb across her cheek to rub away the tear located there.

"Sweetheart," I whispered, "I wasn't trying to persuade you into anything."

"You've been trying to, lately," she sighed, "I just assumed…"

"No," I shook my head, "I can understand completely right now why you don't want any more kids. But, you understand, I had… nothing to do with… raising Nate and Alice. And I… I really… I want to be a father," I sighed, "But I understand. And I would never pressure you into anything you're not comfortable with."

"Oh Nev," she sighed and cried into my chest. I rubbed her back, feeling everything within me deflate. I wanted kids, but I understood completely where Maggie was coming from, and my main goal was to make her happy.

_So much for that dream,_ I thought sadly. I pulled myself together in that instant. Mourning over children that never existed could now end.

"I love you," she whispered again, "And I'm sorry."

"I understand," I murmured again, "Are you going to go into work today?"

"Yes," she insisted, "I have to. Things are going to be chaos at the office if they've found this out. They need me. And your students need you, too."

I nodded and pulled away from her, smiling slightly at her as I went to pull on my robes.

I would get over this. I would.

Things seemed to be quite for weeks. No mention was made again about children- Maggie didn't bring up her unwillingness to bring one into this world, and I didn't bring up my desperate desire to be a father from the beginning. Maggie simply worked hard at the office, helping to finish forming the UKDRA and training the new recruits coming out of Hogwarts. I would even see her at the school from time to time, matching up twelve year olds with dragons- the typical age to pair up in America. She seemed to take the lack of her home country in stride after the initial shock. She recognized that that country had fallen, but she knew that her new home needed to step up and fill the void- to become the new haven of riders.

Nate and Alice continued to excel in all their school activities, though they were shocked as well by the loss of America. The shock wasn't as huge for them as their mother, as they had not lived there as long and had been basically been locked up in their home for all of that time. But still, the shock was huge, and they both sat in my office with me for hours after finding out, drinking pumpkin juice and staring at the floor.

Elena wrote back rather quickly, which was a blessing with Maggie's on-setting depression. Elena clearly wasn't completely healed, however, she sounded a lot more amicable and pleasant than when we had last seen her in person.

_Dear Maggie and Neville, _

_I am dealing with the news better as this week goes on. I cannot say I am surprised- there were very few states left the last time I tuned in to the radio- but hearing that my home had fallen was a shock. And the hospital has immediately applied me for British citizenship so I don't get pulled back into the USA by the Unionists for interrogation. I should get the citizenship any day now. I'm dealing better with everything that happened to me every day. While I still think seeing you will provoke me, I do think we can begin correspondence again. _

_Love, (see! Improvements!)_

_Elena_

Writing to her sister every day brought tears of joy to Maggie's eyes on multiple occasions, and I knew that soon they would be able to see each other again, maybe one day having that same relationship they once had. I really hoped for that, so that I could see that one thing I did ended up right.

That Christmas, I realized my blessings that I already had- Nate and Alice. No, I hadn't gotten to bring them up from babies, but I had them now, as kids. And they were bloody brilliant. I was a father, and a father to the most miraculous two children I had ever met.

Perhaps it was because I was still relatively new at the father thing, but it just struck me that holiday. And I had known them for multiple years now. But there they were, two mini versions of me and Maggie, just standing there. They were only in existence because we had been. Not to say that they shouldn't have been in existence- just that, they were something we had produced (however unwittingly.)

I couldn't get over how similar Alice was to me in looks- the roundness of her face, the shade of her brown hair, the shape and color of her eyes. Similarly, I couldn't get over how similarly Nate acted to me, when I hadn't known him for the first nine years of his life. So timid and shy in most situations, so clumsy and unsure. But then, when the time came, he could come into his own- saving his sister's behind every time she got into trouble, standing up to a particularly loathsome Slytherin second year and getting a black eye as a result, learning everything there was to know about Herbology (and Charms.) He would get his hands dirty working alongside me in the greenhouses and replanting the Venemous Tentacula or pruning the mandrakes. And these similarities to me just left me breathless.

And that Christmas, as we all sat around the tree together, the four of us, I came to realize that I already had my perfect family- and I had Maggie, which was more than I could have hoped for for ten years.

My ease must have come across to her as we finished opening presents that morning and Alice and Nate goofed around with their respective gifts. She gently put her hand on my shoulder and I looked down at her with a smile.

"Everything OK?" she asked, smiling slightly.

"Everything's brilliant," I grinned and kissed her, "My life is perfect now that you're home."

She laughed and rested her head against my upper arm, "I'm glad. Mine is too."

It was the first time she had indicated that she was 'perfect' or something in a similar vein. Who was I to change that status quo?

Harry and the Potters stopped by for a bit, as well as Ron's branch of the Weasley family, to have Christmas dinner together. I didn't want to say it to him, but the reason we invited Harry over as much as we did wasn't just because of his close relationship to Maggie, but also because I was starting to get nervous about the eyes.

Every time I saw Harry, I realized that his eyes were the exact same shape and color as Elena's eyes, as Nate's eyes. They were the exact same shape as Maggie's eyes, too, and I knew they weren't the same color simply because of Maggie's partnership with Thailus- the blue of Thailus' eyes had mixed with her green to create teal.

But Harry had _no living relatives_. That was why he had had to stay with those evil muggle relatives of him- because they were the only ones he had. And if that was false… if he could have had a happy life with Maggie… If Maggie was, somehow, distantly related…

No. There had to be many copies of those eyes scattered around. They weren't extraordinary eyes- well, they were, according to Maggie; apparently the dragon eye color was supposed to completely take over, so the eyes must have had magical properties to overcome that, even partially. But still. There had to be multiple people with those distinctive, almond-shaped, bright green eyes. Because Harry Potter was not related to Maggie Johnson, nor any other living wizard.

That same Christmas I came to another realization. As Maggie and Hermione sat next to each other at the dinner table and eagerly discussed upcoming Dragon Rights being passed by her hand (among them, no more dragons being used to guard Gringotts vaults,) I was mildly amused by the similar shapes of their faces- same jawline, same forehead, same noses. Both had very bushy hair- though the colors were distinctly different (Maggie's dark brown with light brown and black highlights, Hermione's light brown with no highlights,) the textures and shape were exactly the same. Of course, they had it styled differently, but still. As they both reached out to grab something, I thought that even their hands were the same.

This was a possibility I found much more likely than Harry and Maggie being related. After all, there were frequent cases of muggle-borns being related to each other- and there were new studies coming out that most muggle borns _did_ have a wizard or witch relative, far back in their gene pool- even if it was hundreds of years, the gene could still manifest. So I wasn't really all that surprised.

Ron, who was sitting next to me, was busy stuffing his face, much to the amusement of the giggling children. However, I jabbed him lightly in the arm.

"Wha?" he asked, his face stuffed with food.

"Don't our wives look pretty similar?" I asked, grinning. Maggie's fork clattered against the plate and Nate burst into giggles again.

"They do?" Ron asked, being clueless as usual. Hermione and Maggie had immediately faced each other, looking at each other in puzzlement.

"Yeah, I see it," Ginny nodded, "Look at their faces."

Ron frowned for a long time, but it was when they both gave him a look of very similar (close to identical) disdain that he gasped and nearly fell off his chair.

"Merlin's beard!" he roared, "You don't think-"

"We can't be related, can we?" Maggie asked in curiosity, "I mean…"

"What do you know of your British relatives?" Harry laughed, "You told me, nothing."

"That's right… Huh. Could we check it out, Hermione?" Maggie looked over at her, frowning slightly, "We might be distant cousins or something."

"I could try and gain access to the Wizarding Heritage Archives," Hermione asked, "This is interesting. I noticed it in a photo, once, I think- we were standing together or something like that- but I never… Well, I never considered that we might be related. But my mum mentioned once having relatives in the States."

"Merlin!" Ron exclaimed again, "How long until you get access?"

"It could be a while," Hermione shrugged, "It takes a while to get those permissions. But I need to anyway, I'm working on wizarding heritage cases after I finish the dragon ones- we're going back to all muggleborn ancestry, to find traces of wizards even thousands of years back. This could dispel future prejudice if we have enough examples of very ancient wizarding blood- no more ability to deny rights to people based on parentage, because they _have_ to have had a wizard ancestor. Sorry, I'm boring you all-"

"No, I think that's fascinating," Maggie turned to look at her, "So where will you start-"

"Yep, we've got to check this out," Ron insisted, "You're too much alike."

I laughed quietly and Maggie looked at me with a slight grin. I still hadn't let on about Harry Potter.

The next week, at New Years, we got truly excellent tidings in the mail- Nate and Alice were British citizens and no longer tied in any way to the US of A. The twins celebrated by learning God Save the Queen and dancing around with a British flag. I couldn't stop laughing for days.

In mid-January, a month and a half after the complete takeover of the USA, we got two very different pieces of news as well. One was another letter from Elena- we had been having regular correspondence, but with nothing of extreme consequence prior to now.

_Dear Maggie and Neville,_

_I am officially a British citizen! The papers came in yesterday. I can't be taken back by the Unionists legally anymore. Also, I'm getting loads better. Writing is helping a lot, now that I know I can communicate with you two without completely getting set off. I'm hoping to have visitation time soon, so I can finally see you and the twins, and your friends. I would like to get a job for the first time, ever, and finally be a normal person. The Healers think that's a real possibility, since I've recovered so much since coming to a hospital with real professionals to look after me. Geoffrey and Wilson do come in from time to time, though. They managed to get leave for Christmas, which was nice. _

_Hoping to see you soon!  
Love,  
Elena_

To say that Maggie was enthused was an understatement. She ran around the house, jumping up and down, doing cartwheels. I couldn't stop laughing, and eventually she tackled me to the ground. I looked up at her in shock as she kissed me furiously.

"You brought my family back together! Neville!" she laughed loudly, kissing me and kissing me until we used the kitchen for a very non-kitchen activity. I hadn't seen her this boundlessly enthused since our wedding night, or the first night she was OK after coming back, or before our separation.

But that evening, we decided to tune on the radio again. She sat in my lap calmly, holding tightly to my waist, as I turned the dial. I had been very glad that day that our children lived at school.

The radio was calm and usual for a while, just Lee Jordan going off about gnomes again, when-

"Sorry Lee! Urgent news! Urgent!" a very hysterical and loud voice came in- Seamus. Both of our ears picked up at the familiar Irish accent, and we leaned toward the radio. We hadn't seen our closest mutual friend for a while, as he had recently switched careers to be a traveling reporter around the world. We hadn't even heard he was back in Britain.

"As everyone knows, the entire USA has been taken over by the Unionist movement. In what can only be described by the arcane muggle term 'domino effect,' Canada has also fallen today. I repeat- every single province of Canada has fallen to the Unionists. Refugees are being smuggled out to Europe as we speak- though the UK is not taking many in, France seems to be the latest haven. Elisha has not yet been assassinated, and is fueling the entire movement, making her a prime target for the Mexican and Japanese resistance armies, as well as the UDRA refugees living in those countries. Mexico is thought to be the next target for Unionist expansion as the Wizarding Political Map changes. While in the muggle world Canada and the USA are still separate, as it would be too difficult to tell all the muggles that they've merged, in the Wizarding World the country is now known as New Union. Reports of death tolls are not all in-"

Maggie turned off the radio. I looked at her in concern- we had had such a blissful day, I was bracing myself for her guilt.

What I hadn't been ready for her was her _anger_. I suppose she had had no connection to Canada, so guilt wasn't an option- but she was mad.

"I can't believe this! How many countries are they going to take over? The world? This is REDICULOUS. I don't believe it! Canada was a peaceful, complacent country when it came to Dragon Riding- why not just _leave them alone!_ Why not just leave _everyone alone!_" she roared in anger, standing up in her robe and folding her arms across her chest.

"Maggie," I sighed, feeling just as frustrated as she did.

"Don't _Maggie_ me," Maggie groaned, "I'm _mad_, OK? I'm sick of what these people are doing to everyone! They have got to be _stopped_ but no one knows who will stop them!"

"There's no news?" I frowned.

"There's a prophecy, but we can never seem to solve it," Maggie shrugged.

"What is it? And you have no idea who the prophecy refers to?" I raised an eyebrow. Usually, the Department of Mysteries found out pretty quickly for us.

"No, it's too ambiguous. But I basically have it memorized:  
'A rustle of wings, and darkness will fall  
With no obvious hero to save them all  
A legend will falter, a villain will rise  
Entangled in a web of secrets and lies  
The ones who will end it- a lover, a foe  
The one who survived, and the one who did not know  
Her relation to the Chosen One, though she chose the one not chosen  
As the school is captured and the city is frozen  
They fight against the villain and an enemy unseen  
Until, perhaps, it was only just a dream.'" Maggie finished and looked at me sadly.

The words created a chill throughout me- and I had no clue why.

"The UDRA could only figure that it was about the Unionist Wars, based on the first part- apparently their uprising involved a lot of secrecy, spying, and lying to the government. And they know that the first three ones who will end the war are described in terms of the last one- that is, the last one will personally know all three. One will be a lover to her, one a foe, and one will the one who survived, though I dunno what you would call that," Maggie sighed, "And they still hadn't figured it out when I left. I doubt they had much time after that."

"No idea?" I sighed. She shook her head again.

That night I stayed up, staring at the ceiling, unable to wrap around in my head the one line- the one who did not know her relation to the Chosen One, though she chose the one not chosen.

Another month went by, without much incident. Elena was still unready to visit, but we understood, and were still glad that she was writing to us- Maggie especially. The UKDRA finally was fully set up, the Mexican government seemed to be holding, and Hermione was quickly granting expansive dragon rights.

A month after the news about Canada, I got home extraordinarily late. The Mandrakes had been acting up again. I knew that my face was probably smeared with dirt, and my robes as well. All I wanted to do after that harrowing experience was to eat some dinner, take a hot bath, and sleep.

I walked in to Maggie sitting in one of the chairs in the sitting room, looking at the door, probably waiting for me. Her face was pale and she looked ill. She had been throwing up lately, after all, so I told her to take the day off to rest.

"How are you feeling, love?" I asked, tiredly but still cheerfully, "Sorry I'm back so late, the Mandrakes were _awful_- you wouldn't _believe_-"

"I have news," she whispered. Her voice came out hoarse and pained.

"What, love?" I asked fearfully, running over to her side immediately.

She looked up at me, took a deep breath, and murmured,

"I'm pregnant."

AN: So I got the Sims Medieval for Christmas, and I blame that on why I haven't updated. It's… very addicting. So, here is my New Years gift to YOU! I would appreciate four reviews as gift in return! Come on guys, you can totally do it. You're all probably up now _anyway_, it's midnight or so. Thanks to Mrs Soon-To-Be-Malfoy, Sexii-chan, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, and Tayle Kendrin for reviewing! I really appreciate it guys, you have no idea. Please review!


	42. Ch 5: Approaching Tide

Ch. 5: Approaching Tide

_You got me where you want me again  
And I can't turn away  
I'm hangin' by a thread and I'm  
Feelin' like a fool  
I'm stuck here in between the shadows of my yesterday  
I wanna get away, I need to get away  
~Back Against the Wall by Cage the Elephant_

I had two options.

Option number one: Dance around like the giddy fool I was, spin around my wife, do cartwheels, start talking in a rapid voice about nurseries and baby names and baby clothes, and be generally insane.

Option number two: Console my wife, talk about our options, reassure her that she didn't have to do anything she didn't want to do, especially in light of the Unionist expansions, and be selfless.

Well, I immediately grinned, but I couldn't go to option number one, not yet. So I wiped away my grin and sat next to Maggie, holding her hand softly in my own.

"What do you want to do about it?" I murmured quietly. I didn't want her to get an abortion… lord knows, the thought of killing my own babies made bile rise to my throat and my entire world come crashing down. But I wouldn't contest the right she had to her own body, and her opinions about our world.

"I'm keeping them, Nev, don't worry," Maggie whispered. I had never heard her voice so quiet. She continued, "I could never get an abortion. I couldn't when I was nineteen and I can't now."

"You are?" I whispered in hushed amazement. She nodded and rested her head against my chest.

"I'm so scared, Nev," she murmured, "I'm so, so, _so_ scared. I can't… It's like film reel in my head, going over all these things that could happen to our kids, on instant replay-"

"Love," I sighed, taking her hands and lifting up her chin so she would look at me, "I can't promise everything will be OK for our kids. What I can promise is that their childhood won't be spent in a house like Nate, Alice, and me to an extent. What I can promise is that they'll have both parents. What I can promise is that we'll protect them the best we can, but there are circumstances beyond our control. What I can promise is that it'll be the best it can be, and that's all we can hope for. And there is no use anticipating every terrible thing that could happen to our kids, so it's best to not."

Maggie nodded and pressed her face to my shoulder, "I'm still so scared."

"I know," I murmured, "And there's nothing much I can do to dispel those fears. It's best to focus on the blessing, on the joy, on the good things of the future."

Maggie held tightly to my hand, "It's going to hurt so bloody much."

"Do you know how many there are?" I asked softly.

"No, I haven't gone to a Healer yet, I just used a pregnancy test. We can go over whenever, though," Maggie shrugged, looking up at me and wiping off her eyes.

"What's the most it can be, the least, and the realistic amount?" I asked, matter-of-factly.

"Most? Ten. Least? Two. Realistically? Since I just had twins, the odds are I'll be having _lots_ of babies rather than a few. So I'd guess seven, eight," Maggie shuddered, "I'm going to have to sit on a couch from the fourth month on."

"Let's go to the Healer and find out," I nodded, "But first, can I do something really immature?"

Maggie nodded, sitting in the chair calmly. I broke away from her, stood up at one edge of the room, and did three backflips in a row across the room.

Maggie couldn't stop laughing as I then proceeded to calmly get the floo powder and prepare the fireplace for departure. Even as she entered the fire before me, she said "St. Mungo's!" with laughter in her voice. I followed, grinning myself.

We didn't' have to wait long for an appointment- it was a slow day at the hospital. I sat in the waiting area, reading Wizard parenting magazines with the biggest grin of all time on my face. Maggie had finally stopped laughing and looked worried again, but not as worried as she had initially been.

Finally, we were called back, and Padma Patil greeted us with a smile.

"Padma!" we both gasped. She laughed.

"Didn't know I was a Healer, huh?" she grinned, "Come on. Maggie, drink this potion so I can magically monitor your uterus. Neville, feel free to sit down."

I did so as Maggie gulped down the potion and sat at the edge of the bed in the room. Padma then waved her wand over her stomach, concentrating with each flick and muttering softly under her breath. Finally, she seemed satisfied and stepped back.

"Well, you are most definitely pregnant. I know the number of babies and actually, thanks to modern magical medicine, I know the genders. Would you like to find out?" Padma asked.

"Definitely the number. I don't care about the gender- I wouldn't mind knowing ahead of time, but… Neville?" Maggie asked me softly.

"I would like to know the gender as well," I nodded, completely sure. I wanted to be able to pick out names, paint the nursery, get excited about-

"Well, you have six children," Padma frowned apologetically. Maggie actually let out a sigh of relief and put her face in her hands.

"Trust me, Padma, it could have been a _lot_ worse," Maggie breathed.

I grinned again. Six kids!

"And you have three girls and three boys," Padma nodded. Again, I couldn't help grinning.

"Even? That's amazing," I whispered. Maggie smiled at me slightly.

"Now, since there are so many children, you'll probably have to go on bedrest pretty soon- I'd say, by the fourth month. And you're about a month along at this point, so you should take these next three months to do what you have to do to get ready. I'm sure the ministry will understand you taking so much time off…" Padma continued.

"Yes, I'm aware," Maggie nodded, "Thank you so much, Padma."

"No problem at all," Padma smiled, "You're aware they'll probably be born premature?"

"Not as premature as you might think. It's a dragon thing," Maggie shrugged, "Are they all… healthy?"

"From what I can tell, yes," Padma nodded, "Be sure to check in with me often."

"Of course," Maggie nodded, "Thank you so much for your time!"

"Again, no problem. Have a good day!" Padma beamed as we walked out of the office and towards the floo again. I was still grinning like something of a fool.

"Wait," Maggie held me back before I got into the fire. I looked at her in concern.

"What is it?" I asked calmly.

"Let's go see Elena," she whispered.

I felt my eyes widen, "You sure it'll be safe?"

"I want to tell her this in person," Maggie paused, "If the Healers don't think we should go in, we shouldn't go in."

"OK," I nodded, nervous. We went up the stairs to the mental ward. I had yet to introduce Maggie to my parents. I wondered if she realized this was where they were.

I opened the door and found the main healer standing next to it. She nodded at me, a young and frail looking woman.

"Excuse me, Healer-?" I asked softly, so my voice wouldn't trigger an episode if Elena were to hear it, wherever she was.

"Healer Henderson," she introduced, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, I'm… I'm Neville Longbottom," I sighed, "We were in St. Mungo's and… Well, Maggie has some news for Elena that she felt needed to be told in person-"

"Yes," Healer Henderson nodded, "Elena has shown excellent improvement. We were actually going to let her visit you two soon. You may certainly try. Come in," Henderson nodded to Maggie behind me. We walked in to the ward nervously. I had not visited my parents since Elena had come, because I didn't want to set her off. I felt my heart pound in my ears.

"Elena?" Healer Henderson called out, "Maggie and Neville are here to see you."

I saw her face poke out from behind a white sheet, and again I was struck with her similarity to Harry Potter. Her black hair was everywhere around her face, but her jagged, lightning-esque scar was revealed. She was wearing round glasses and I couldn't get over her eyes.

"Maggie? Neville?" she breathed, "What brings you here?"

"I have some news," Maggie whispered, "And it didn't feel right telling you in a letter. We were here already, so we thought-"

"No, this is good," Elena nodded, "I want to see… What happens," she whispered, "And I want to talk to you about something."

Maggie nodded her assent, "OK. Should I tell you first?"

"Yes," Elena begged, "Please do. And sit down," she offered out two chairs nearby. I took one, taking Maggie's hand as she sat next to me in the other one.

"Elena, I'm… I'm pregnant," Maggie murmured. Elena's eyes widened into saucers behind her glasses.

"You are? How many?" Elena breathed.

"Six," Maggie explained, "Which is the best I could have hoped for-"

"That's… wonderful, Maggie," Elena murmured, "I'm not even kidding."

Maggie smiled slightly, "I have… Worries."

"But what mother doesn't? I understand. This is a shitty situation we're all in. But I think they'll be fine," Elena nodded. There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"When did you get glasses, Elena?" I asked casually.

"It helps with the hallucinations. I don't get them as often when them on… they're magic glasses. And the disrupted my vision, too, so I need the glasses to see. And if I have the glasses off for whatever reason and then I see something clear- everything is supposed to be blurry- I know I'm hallucinating," Elena explained, "I'll have them for life, but I don't mind them, really."

I nodded. Maggie looked upset next to me, but I could feel her pull herself together.

"Maggie, I want to ask you a question. About when we were kids," Elena began. Maggie frowned slightly.

"OK, what's up?" Maggie asked.

"You remember… my second year of Salem?" Elena asked.

Maggie let out a small sigh, "Yes, Elena." I could feel realization ripple through her.

"I should have asked this question when we were kids. But… I suppose all this set it off," Elena paused, playing with a lock of her black hair, "But… could you have saved her? Was there a chance?"

"Elena, I agonize over that. A lot," Maggie paused, "And no, I couldn't have. I'm sorry."

Elena nodded. Something within her seemed to have come together, because she suddenly looked a lot calmer with us, "That's all I needed."

"Does all of this really stem from that? Really?" Maggie murmured in amazement.

"I think it's based on the feeling I've bottled up for years that you could have done something, and you didn't. But I have to accept the fact that while you might be an extraordinarily powerful witch, you aren't… you aren't God," Elena smiled, "I've been treating you like a God since I was a little kid and you got a dragon at the age of eight."

Maggie rested her cheek on her hand, "I'm sorry, El."

"Why are you sorry?" Elena beamed, "I've moved past something today. Now, I think Neville should introduce you to his parents at last. Don't you, Neville?"

I felt my heart sink into my stomach. Maggie frowned at me.

"They live in this ward, over in the corner there," I nodded to the makeshift room.

"They're lovely people," Elena smiled, "Lovely, crazy people."

"Yes," Maggie stood up and started walking over to the room, looking at me expectantly. I could sense her frustration with me in her voice. I followed and opened up the curtain to the room.

My mum was sitting there, with her long white hair all over her pillow. My dad was playing with a candy wrapper. I felt something inside of me clench tightly. Maggie reached over and held my wrist.

"M… Mum?" I whispered hoarsely. She seemed to recognize the sound of my voice, because she looked up at me.

"Mum, it's me. Neville. Your son," I continued. She continued to look at me, unblinkingly. Sometimes I wondered if she could understand me perfectly, but was unable to do anything to show that she could.

I sat on the edge of the bed, "It's been a while since I've been here. I'm sorry. It's no one's fault but my own."

She continued to watch me, her hands in her lap.

"Last time I saw you, I was sad, remember? Because Maggie wasn't… Because Maggie wasn't with me," I continued, "My fiancée."

She blinked once. I could only hope that meant understanding.

"Well… Well she came home," I said through tears forming in my eyes, "She came home, here she is. We got married. Turns out, she had been pregnant when she left, and she had twins- Nate, and Alice. You're a grandmum," I smiled through the tears.

My mum sat more forward and looked at me carefully.

"And she's pregnant again," I whispered, "Here. Mum, this is Maggie, your daughter in law," I gestured. Maggie sat with me on the bed and smiled softly at my mum.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom," she whispered.

Her hand suddenly rose up towards her. The tears pooled over my eyes as my wife and my mum shook hands. Maggie was also crying.

"Dad?" I distracted from the candy wrapper. He looked up and he nodded at me. He had always been better at outside communication than mum, but mum was physically more healthy.

"This is your daughter in law, Maggie," I whispered. He nodded at her, his eyes blinking twice.

"You're a granddad, too. Their names are Nathaniel Frank Johnson-Longbottom and Alice Melinda Johnson-Longbottom. They're named after you, and after Maggie's parents. Isn't that… nice?" I whispered. Both my father and my mother nodded. The fact that my mother nodded sent me over the edge and I slid down to the floor by the bed.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Longbottom. This is a lot for Neville, I… I hope you understand," Maggie whispered to my mum, "Forgive him. We'll come by with your grandkids some time."

I don't know what Alice did, but Maggie helped me up and out of the ward. She handed me a small gum wrapper with a smile. I cried again and held Maggie in my arms.

"They love you," I whispered.

"I could tell," Maggie laughed quietly, "Come on. We still have to tell Alice and Nate that they're going to be big siblings."

I pulled her outside next to the door of the entrance area, however, looking down at her in concern.

"What were you and Elena talking about?" I asked softly.

Maggie looked up at me sadly, gently reaching out to hold my arm, "I'm sorry I never told you about it."

"About _what_?" I grumbled angrily.

"When Elena was a first year at Salem, she made a friend- well, obviously. Her name was Calliope and she was muggle-born. She came down with Elven Pox, which appears exactly like muggle Measles, but it's deadly if you leave it untreated for long- and treatment involves a certain, very specific potion. So Calliope didn't do anything about it, just thought she would get over it like her muggle sister had gotten over the measles… and she didn't. Once it started getting really bad and Calliope realized it might not be measles, she went to _me_ for help, because Elena tended to talk me up a lot when she was young- she idolized me. And I couldn't do anything but send her to the Hospital Wing, where Elena sat with her and watched her die," Maggie sighed, "Which is why Elena has been able to see Thestrals since she was twelve."

I reached out and held her shoulder, "I'm sorry," I murmured, now understanding the entirety of their conversation.

"It isn't your fault in any way," Maggie replied with a cheeky smile, "Besides, I didn't even realize it had ingrained itself so deeply into Elena's psyche. I didn't realize how close the two of them had been, but I guess they were close enough that it would create an unspoken grudge in Elena's heart. Ah well. I think… I think we're moving on, now."

I nodded in agreement, "I agree. Shall we?"

"We shall," Maggie nodded, and I helped her into the fireplace and the whirling green flames.

The months dragged on as the two of us prepared a nursery in the house- though we knew that once the babies had grown we'd need to get them all their own room, we figured we could fit them in one until further notice. We painted the room a mixture of blue, aqua, teal, green, yellow and purple, all in swirling majestic colors.

Thailus and Maggie would go out flying so she could get some form of exercise, and in the meantime, I would sit with Emralda and talk to her. She was actually a very pleasant, calm presence- almost had to be, with the hyper and overactive mate she had.

"Thailus and Maggie, I recognized it right away," she reminisced one morning as I sat with one of her chicks in my lap, the baby chirping at me as his mother stretched out her brilliant emerald green legs on the grass, "They were the same person, long before partnering."

"But Thailus hated people, I thought?" I laughed softly.

Her tail swished around in the air, though far behind us- she was almost as big as Thailus, the size of an elephant and a half I'd say, but very slender and lizard like.

"Of course he did. There were always wizards coming into our home and bothering us, for partners. But that was when he was a kid- and thus it grew with him into a prejudice. A prejudice Maggie had for foreign wizards for a time, as you suspected," Emralda laughed, "She simply thought that all European wizards thought too highly of themselves. But she, and Thailus, were both knocked back into their senses when they actually met the thing they theoretically despised."

"I suppose you're right," I smiled slightly as the royal blue blip in the sky turned and twisted around in the air.

"But the moment I saw them interact- Thailus and I had already been mates for a while- I could see it. The fire. The passion. The extremism. The recklessness. The craftiness, if you believe it- the cunning. I was amazed, shocked, surprised. I knew that they would eventually pair up. It wasn't a question of if they _had_ to have a dragon there was no one else they'd rather be with- it was the simple fact that the two of them were made to partner with the other. Maggie wouldn't have partnered without Thailus, Thailus certainly wouldn't have without Maggie. It was destiny, written in the fabric of the universe," Emralda chuckled again, in that soft and soothing way she always seemed to, "I wouldn't be surprised if it actually was."

"Things can be written in the fabric of the universe?" I asked curiously, knowing that dragons knew magical secrets wizards only dreamed of.

"Certain things. Dragon-human pairings. Matings. People themselves, even, if they're important," Emralda paused, "Certain events in history are fixed points- no matter what came before, it would always happen, or else it would be possible for the whole universe to collapse upon itself. Everything else is in flux- can be changed, altered."

"Can dragons see which is which?" I asked in amazement.

"Some dragons. They're usually white in color, and blind, because they don't need to see- they see all of time- the past, the present, the possible future. There are some humans who can see the future, but it's only the future we're on at the moment- the human can't tell whether or not that future is fixed or in flux," Emralda shrugged and paused for a long moment, "My father was a white dragon."

"Oh," I whispered softly, "So your mother…"

"Was a deep forest green," Emralda laughed, "And she loved my father deeply, even when she was a child- she was significantly younger than my father. My dad was a teenager when my mum was born and just starting to come into his craft, into significance. My mum silently worshiped the ground he walked on, which of course he was aware of, but didn't say anything until she was old enough to know what she actually wanted. She would have to know that he wouldn't share equally in the parenting, that he had many duties, that he would often be absent- but still, she didn't care. And this was a pairing in flux. But it happened- my father, as one of his unique gifts, could tell the difference between different loves, and he saw my mother's love had always been genuine, not greedy or shallow or obsessive. I'm one of two- I wasn't born with sight, but my sister Shali was. She's living with my father and mother now, learning the trade from my father."

"That's really cool," I remarked. As Maggie and Thailus flew every day, Emralda and I would get to know each other like this- me telling my life story, her hers.

One day, in the third month of pregnancy, when Maggie had developed a middle-sized stomach already (not surprising, she had six kids in there) and a slight waddle, we went to the Ministry of Magic. Hermione finally had access to the archives after gaining major dragon rights and we were all going to go down there to research Maggie's ancestry. Elena was with us, having recently been freed from St. Mungo's to live in an apartment near the hospital- to have some independence, but still be able to be monitored.

The three of us stood awkwardly in the hallway outside of Hermione's office, Maggie massaging her stomach and Elena fiddling with her glasses. The hallway was empty for a moment, but soon enough someone came walking down- Harry Potter, of all people.

"Hello Neville, Maggie- Elena! How nice to see you again!" Harry held out his hand to the girl who looked like a female version of him after all that had happened, "How are you doing?"

"Better every day," Elena smiled slightly, "How are you?"

"Stressed as ever. I was actually looking for you, Maggie," Harry turned to my wife in concern, "News came in this morning- I know you're on maternity leave, but…"

"What news _now_, Harry?" Maggie groaned in annoyance.

"Our spies in America- I can't believe we have them now," Harry grimaced, "Heard… Well, they heard the next target for expansion is… the UK."

Maggie's eyes widened and Elena slid to the floor. I immediately thought of all the people here, who would be attacked, targeted, and for _what…_

"It's just a rumor right now," Harry assured, "And it seems to be one of the countries floating around, along with Japan, China, and Brazil. You can't be too surprised, Maggie, you are their number one most wanted."

Maggie shook her head but still looked incredibly pale. I reached around to rub her shoulders, glaring at Harry. My wife was in a delicate position at the moment, and she didn't need to be scared more than necessary.

"I'll keep you posted on it. Is this the big family tree revelation?" Harry asked, grinning, trying to dispel the tension.

"Yep. You want to come?" I asked off-handedly, remembering my observation more than ever with Harry and Elena standing next to each other.

"I actually do have a moment- might as well, this could be interesting," Harry shrugged as Hermione stepped out of her office. She looked at Harry and Elena and did a double-take, jumping back.

"Sorry, I was just… Hi Elena," Hermione smiled at her.

"Hi Hermione. What's wrong?" Elena asked in curiosity.

"Well, I mean… The glasses, the hair, the eyes… Oh dear, and you have a scar now… Any who, that all added up to you looking a lot like Harry. I apologize," Hermione shrugged, "Ready to go?"

We all nodded and walked down the hallway to a brown door at the end of it. Maggie grumbled in annoyance as she cradled her stomach. Hermione pulled out a worn looking key and opened the door, revealing a huge hall filled with scrolls upon scrolls upon scrolls upon scrolls upon scrolls.

"Each scroll has a specific family, muggle or magical, they're all here. Every living family in the world," Hermione gestured to the hall, "However, they simply trace a lineage, and not all the distant relatives. So, to trace a brief family tree- obviously not as far back as you can go- we go to this," Hermione led us to a table next to the door with a huge scroll on it, that was blank.

"I simply write your name on it, Maggie," Hermione wrote in an elegant scrawl _Margaret Natalie Johnson-Longbottom_, "And we can trace your family tree."

"How?" Maggie asked curiously.

"It has recorded in its memory all of human genealogy, but the memory has to be accessed- so tap your wand," Hermione nodded, "on you name. You'll get your immediate family, the one you were born into."

Maggie pulled out her wand and tapped her name. Sure enough, there it appeared- Nathaniel Scipio Johnson, married to Melinda Elizabeth Dickens Johnson. Two little lines jutted from the line connecting their names, one to Maggie and one to a name that appeared, Elena Samantha Longbottom. But, at the same time, a line jutted horizontally from Maggie's name, to my own- Neville Richard Longbottom. I felt my eyes widen at the sight.

"That's… rare," Hermione breathed.

"What?" Maggie demanded.

"Well, if he appears with your birth family, that means… you were always going to end up together. Always. From the moment Maggie was born, that meant that Neville was also going to be born, and you were going to marry him," Hermione breathed, "Or, end up with him for the rest of your lives."

I remembered Emralda's words on fixed and flux. I felt like I needed to sit down.

Maggie looked at that in amazement, reaching out to hold my hand.

"Alright, well… Next you should tap your mum's name, since she's the only one who-"

"Wait," Maggie paused, "What happens if I tap my name again?"

"It gives you your children. Usually your husband too, but you already have that," Hermione shrugged.

"All my future children? Or just the ones I have currently? Or the ones I have currently and the ones I'm about to have?" she furthered.

"Usually it would be the second one, but I have a funny feeling you're different," Hermione murmured.

Maggie tapped her name again. Out from beneath the line connecting our names jutted three thick lines. The first then branched into two normal lines. The second, into six. The third, into four. The first two received names- Alice Melinda and Nathaniel Frank. All the rest had either a G or a B, but no name.

"Well," Maggie breathed. I could tell this was taking an emotional toll on her.

"You're going to have four more kids after this," Hermione needlessly explained, "Two more girls and two more boys."

I tried to contain that immense sense of joy in my heart again.

"Well, I guess you should tap your mum's name now. If you tap someone who already has their name been tapped, it first reveals any other lovers they could have- lovers they have children with, but that's obviously not an issue here. Then, if there aren't any, or if you've done that, the tap will reveal _their_ family. Does it make sense now?" Hermione explained.

Maggie's face suddenly paled, as did Elena. I knew Maggie's dad had some sort of worry that her mum had cheated on him- but they hadn't had any kids, so it wouldn't be an issue.

Maggie's hand was shaking nonetheless as she tapped her mother's name.

A line jutted out on the other side from her, the side that wasn't already connected to Nathaniel, and connected to a name. A line jutted down below it.

The child was Wilfric Brian. He had the same last name as his father.

His father was Severus Snape.

"WHAT?" Harry and Hermione and I shouted. Maggie put her face in her hands and sat down in a chair. Elena slid down the wall to sit on the floor, her hands clutching to the hair on the back of her neck.

"No, that's not… That's not _Snape_," Harry took out his own wand and tapped the name of Snape. But it jutted back to a Tobias Snape and an Eileen Prince Snape.

"It _is_ Snape," Hermione whispered.

"He… And your mum…" I stammered.

"I knew it. I knew it the moment I met Snape," Maggie mumbled into her hands, "I didn't think they had a _child_ though…"

"Dad knew too, of course," Elena said to the floor, "But he loved mum so much he didn't do anything about it."

"Um… Should we stop? We should stop," Hermione whispered.

"No," Maggie lifted up her head and tapped her mother's name again with her wand. The line jutted back to her parents- she was an only child. Maggie tapped both her grandfather and grandmother's names, almost in anger. Each had a sibling. Elena now came over with her own wand out, nodding at Maggie. They both continued tapping the map, tapping siblings and names in anger. Hermione watched in amazement, Harry's hand was running through his hair, and I held myself steady on the table.

Maggie's maternal grandfather had a sister, who was a muggle. That sister had children, one of whom was a muggle had her own child. Similarly, her maternal grandmother also had a sister, who was a muggle. The sister had two children, one was a witch, who also had a child.

The muggle niece of her maternal grandfather had a single, witch child. That child was named Hermione Jean Granger Weasley, and had married Ronald Weasley and had two children, Rose Weasley and Hugo Weasley. Rose was inscribed to be married, in the future, to Scorpius Malfoy.

The witch cousin of Maggie's mother was named Lily Evans. She had a son named Harry Potter, married to Ginny Weasley, with three kids, James Albus and Lily.

Harry, Maggie, Elena and Hermione all continued to look at each other in shock, a little square of staring. Harry looked at Elena's eyes and couldn't seem to stop.

Maggie and Elena were second cousins to both Hermione and Harry.

I couldn't help but remember the line.

_And one who did not know/Her relation to the Chosen One, though she Chose the one Not Chosen_.

"Well," I whispered. All four turned to look at me.

"Maggie, the prophecy is about you," I explained matter-of-factly.

"_What_?" Maggie snapped, looking stressed.

"That line. 'And one who did not know her relation to the Chosen one, though she chose the one not chosen,'" I repeated nonchalantly, still mystified about the ending.

"But… But…" Maggie stammered, "I… I never chose anyone not chosen I'm… I'm so overwhelmed…"

"Wait, what prophecy?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"A rustle of wings, and darkness will fall  
With no obvious hero to save them all  
A legend will falter, a villain will rise  
Entangled in a web of secrets and lies  
The ones who will end it- a lover, a foe  
The one who survived, and the one who did not know  
Her relation to the Chosen One, though she chose the one not chosen  
As the school is captured and the city is frozen  
They fight against the villain and an enemy unseen  
Until, perhaps, it was only just a dream," Elena recited softly, "It's about the Unionist War, but I thought it didn't matter anymore, since the USA had been taken over."

"The Unionists are still fighting, just the world now," I pointed out.

"But wait," Maggie whispered, "I never chose anyone not chosen-"

"You did," Harry stated solemnly.

We all looked at him.

"My prophecy… The one we looked for in fifth year," Harry muttered.

"What about it?" I asked. Hermione suddenly got a look of dawning apprehension.

"It named me as the Chosen One, the one to defeat the Dark Lord," Harry murmured.

"Yes, we figured," I nodded again. Harry was looking me cautiously.

"It could have applied to two people, before Voldemort decided to kill me as a baby. After that moment it only applied to me," Harry sighed.

"Who was the other…" Maggie whispered, but we were all figuring it out.

"There was a fifty percent chance that you could have been the Chosen One, Neville," Harry murmured.

I fell to the floor and held my face in my hands.

"But Voldemort chose me. Maggie… Maggie chose the one not chosen," Harry finished.

"Maggie," Elena whispered. I was still so… shocked. Earth shattered. Shaken.

"Maggie, that means the prophecy is centered around you. You can figure out who the other three chosen ones are, because you should have the instinct. That's what the UDRA always said. Maggie. Who is it. Who will end it. You know. You have to know," Elena begged, desperately.

There was a long period of tense silence as all of us sat there.

"The only person who could be the lover is Neville," Maggie murmured softly. I looked up from my hands then at all of their tense faces.

"The Survivor is Harry. I know it. I've known it the whole time," Maggie continued.

"And the foe?" Elena paused.

"The only person I can think of is dead. Jethro. He's dead," Maggie sighed.

I looked at Harry, and he looked at me.

"What just happened?" all five of us said at once. We didn't fully know.

But as Harry, Maggie and I looked at each other, we knew we had work to do.

AN: Sorry for going all Doctor Who on you all in this chapter. It happens. Only two reviews, Sexii-chan and Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-Chan. This makes me sad. Please guys, four reviews for the next chapter? I want to finish this story so I'll update eventually, but if I get four maybe I'll get to update multiple times before going back to school. I start classes the seventeenth, and after then you all should know I won't be updating probably until the summer, certainly not until spring break. And the action is finally picking up again, yay! This was a very heavy and secret revealing chapter and I'm sorry- there's a few more like this but none quite this intense, I feel. Anywho, when I get back to school I'll be able to put up a finished family tree for you guys. I don't have it with me.

So, please review! Please please pretty please! I know we're all busy but it doesn't take a lot to leave a little review. I'd love for you guys to review and tell me what you think of all the secrets and intensity of this chapter, for serious. Review!


	43. Ch 6: The Change

Ch. 6: The Change

_What if I say I'm not like the others?  
What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays?  
You're the pretender  
What if I say that I'll never surrender?  
~The Pretender by the Foo fighters_

The crowd of the five of us headed over to Hogwarts immediately. We had some portraits to speak to. Maggie waddled slowly forward, looking increasingly irritated that she was confined to such a slow pace. I tried to help her out as we went through the hallway of the Ministry, but she gave me a look. I knew that she felt hopeless enough not knowing anything about her past and apparently knowing everything about her future, so I didn't push it.

We ran into Ginny and Ron in the hallway- Ron because he was bringing Hermione lunch, and Ginny because she was coming to interview the Head of Magical Games and Sports for an article in the Quibbler. They looked surprised to see the five of us walking through the hallway, all looking as if we had seen an unexpected ghost.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked angrily, running up to Harry in concern.

"Oh, you had the Genealogy thing today- how'd it go?" Ron asked, rather obliviously, as he handed a brown bag to Hermione. Hermione gave him a look of annoyance.

"Let's just say I didn't realize how many secrets could be contained in one piece of magical paper," Harry rolled his eyes. Ginny gave him an irritated look and Harry cleared his throat nervously.

"Right. Sorry. But this was just… I've never been this overwhelmed. Not with Riddle's diary, not with the Marauder's Map," Harry sighed, "You should have seen this, Gin."

"What have you found out?" Ron asked as he bit into a large turkey sandwich.

"Brace yourself," I sighed, gently massaging Maggie's back as she groaned with the weight of her pregnancy. She glared at me out of the corner of her eye and I casually pulled my hand back.

"Well, to begin with, Ronald, I believe I've told you about fixed things on the genealogy chart? Things that haven't happened yet but are etched into the future, so that they'll always happen?" Hermione introduced breathlessly.

"Yemp," Ron said through his mouthful of food as Ginny hit him upside the head.

"Well, Rose is going to marry Scorpius, Draco Malfoy's son," Hermione stated firmly.

All the food went flying out of Ron's mouth and over the ground as he choked over a piece of it. Maggie looked extremely ill in response to it and Hermione made a face of disgust as the others present immediately started laughing.

"You can recover from the shock later, there's more," Hermione groaned, "Anywho. Turns out Maggie and Neville were also meant to get together from the beginning, and they're going to have four more kids after this batch. I hate to talk about them like they're cookies but…"

"Well that one's obvious," Ron waved off with his hand as Ginny waved her wand over his mess to clean it up, "What else?"

"Maggie's mum, Melinda, had an affair the first time she came to Britain," Hermione continued.

"With who? I have a feeling we know the bloke," Ron shrugged. Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"Snape. And they had a kid," Maggie sighed.

Ron's eyes grew to the size of saucers and Ginny's mouth fell open.

"A KID?" Ginny shouted.

"SNAPE?" Ron continued.

"It gets better," Elena rolled her eyes.

"Oh, hi Elena," Ginny smiled, recovering slightly. Ron was mouthing silently and gesturing in midair.

"So, we went up the family tree to see who Maggie's related to. Guess who are her second cousins?" Hermione sighed.

"Well, you, obviously," Ginny sighed, "We all figured that out at dinner. Who else?"

There was a long pause as all of us looked at each other.

Finally, Harry sighed, "Me, Gin. I'm her second cousin."

"WHAT?" Ron and Ginny shouted.

"Not so loud," Hermione snapped softly.

"How, is that, possible?" Ron groaned.

"My maternal grandmum had a sister who is Maggie's maternal grandmum, it's not that hard," Harry rolled his eyes.

"But, Dumbledore said he had to keep you with the Dursley's because they had your mother's blood, and no one else did-" Ron frowned.

"Maybe it was because Petunia's blood is closer to Lily's, and he wanted Harry to stay in the UK so he could go to Hogwarts," Hermione sighed.

"It still would have been kinder to send me to Maggie's until I was old enough to go to school," Harry muttered under his breath. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Anything else? And I assume you're headed to Hogwarts to speak to Snape and Dumbledore's portraits," Ginny sighed.

"Well, we figured out who is going to end the Unionist war," Elena shrugged in annoyance.

"Really?" Ron and Ginny exclaimed at once, "Who?"

"There's a prophecy, that no one in America could decipher because so much important information was unknown, until now. Basically, Maggie, Harry, and Neville are three of the four people who are going to end the Unionist war. We still don't know the fourth- the only possibility is dead," Elena explained.

Ginny's eyes widened, "Another prophecy?"

Harry shrugged, giving a bemused expression, "Not sure how I'm the one to end this one."

"It'll become clear, but now we're aware, so we can move forward," Maggie grunted as she shifted her weight, "Can we get to Hogwarts, now?"

"Let's go with them- George is still managing the shop and he'll be fine, and you should reschedule. This is too huge," Ron muttered to Ginny. Ginny nodded and they followed us over to the Floo.

I went first, as I actually worked at Hogwarts, and the rest followed me to my office. It was suddenly very cramped in there as we all scrunched up into the room that only held a double bed, a desk, and loads of book shelves. My plants were outside, where they were meant to be.

"Let's go. I'm sure Professor Bones won't mind," I sighed, leading the caravan down through the school hallways. Whispering immediately followed us by the sparse number of students plaguing them- it was Friday, after classes had ended for the day.

"Mum? Dad?" a familiar voice called out. We all turned to see Nate, Alice, Teddy and Victoire standing there. Teddy had messed himself up again, his hair a vivid green and his uniform a mess- shirt untucked, tie untied and hanging around his neck, sweater tied around his waist. Alice was mimicking his style as always, her own shirt and tie messy and her sweater nowhere to be seen, her knee socks supporting another tear. Nate was very neatly in his uniform, but his cloak was also supporting tears at the edges. Victoire was wearing jeans and a Weasley sweater, completely out of uniform, and her blonde hair was the messiest I had ever seen it.

"What have you four been up to?" I asked suspiciously.

"That's not important. Why are you all here?" Teddy deflected immediately.

"Mr. Lupin, I am the teacher," I said sternly. I could tell by their demeanors that they had been getting into trouble, "What are you up to?"

Their faces immediately became fearful at my calling Teddy by his surname.

"Dad, we were going to… uh…" Nate stammered, his face coloring madly.

"Play out at the Quidditch pitch. Teddy's on the team now and can get us brooms," Alice said smoothly. I immediately knew it was a lie.

"Alice," I sighed in annoyance.

"Talk to you later dad!" Alice waved and took Teddy and Nate's hands, and Teddy took Victoire's, and they ran through the hallway laughing. I watched them go, perturbed beyond belief.

"Worry about it later," Maggie groaned, holding her stomach, "It's about time I start bed rest I think."

I nodded, instantly concerned, and I helped her up the steps to the Headmistress' office. Professor Bones came down immediately and looked exceptionally shocked to see us all behind her square spectacles.

"Neville! And Maggie! And Mr. and Mrs. Potter and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley! What are you-" Professor Bones gasped.

"Sorry Valerie, but we need to talk to the portraits of Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape. It's exceptionally urgent," I sighed in annoyance. Maggie groaned softly and looked fairly ill. She was letting me support her now.

"By all means," Professor Bones gestured, and we all climbed into the main office. Dumbledore's portrait and Snape's were side by side behind the main desk and chair. Maggie looked pained, but in a different sort. I'd forgotten the last time she had been in here was to talk to a living Snape.

"Professor Dumbledore!" I called out angrily, "Professor Snape!"

Both woke up from their slumbers soon enough.

"Hello Professor Longbottom," Dumbledore greeted, a smile on his painted lips.

"What could you possibly wish, Longbottom?" Snape snapped.

"Severus," Maggie said softly, in a very deadly tone of voice. Snape looked at her and his eyes visibly widened in his portrait.

She managed to heave herself over to the portrait and stood there, somewhat angrily, "You never told me."

There was silence. The entire room was completely silent.

"I know you can't apologize for what your real counterpart did. However, you do have his memories until the moment he died. So. What happened. Explain," Maggie whispered.

"I… do not know what you're talking about," Snape offered feebly. I could feel my wife's fury very, very acutely.

"Don't bullshit me Severus."

Snape sighed, looking over at Dumbledore briefly, before looking back at Maggie.

"Your mother came to help the Order the summer before Harry Potter entered his fifth year- the summer before you entered your sixth," Snape began softly.

"Yes, I remember," Maggie snapped, "Don't waste time with details I already know."

"Well, you remember your mother. She was always looking out for those who were picked on and ostracized, it was the way she functioned. A remarkably lot like you, a remarkably lot like Lily Evans," Snape continued.

"Well, she was first cousins with Lily Evans, so it all makes sense doesn't it?" Maggie responded bitingly. Dumbledore next to Snape let out a groan and Snape frowned.

"Yes. It does make sense. At any rate, this meant that she tried to get to know me, though I was very cold towards her as I was towards everyone else. I was especially cold because she looked exactly like Lily Evans, and I didn't… there were loads of reasons why I didn't want to become close to her," Snape sighed, "Because of that."

"Alright, so, something happened. What?" Maggie hissed. She was so impatient I wanted to get her to bed rest, _now_, before she hurt herself or the children.

"Eventually, however, her being the only person besides Albus to talk to me outside of Order meetings got to me. I talked to her as well, trying to remain emotionally distant. I was acutely aware she was married and had children. But there's something about your mother, Maggie. Something about Melinda, that she shared with Lily- it was hard to not let her in," Snape sighed.

"OK, when did you figure out she was related to Lily?" Maggie sighed.

"That's later on. Melinda first, in trying to get to know me, demanded why I switched sides. By this point, I was beginning to have my suspicions about her relation to Lily- the similarities between the two of them were too uncanny. However, I wasn't comfortable telling anyone except Albus my reasons for switching sides. And she, in a temper so very similar to yours, Maggie- so very similar to Lily's- stopped talking to me, deciding that unless I could trust her, she couldn't trust me, as I had been a Death Eater before. So she was mad at me for a long time, until I reached the courage to tell her," Snape sighed.

"Go on," Maggie growled.

"I told her I'd tell her if we checked her Genealogy. So we did, we went to the Wizard Archives, as I'm sure you just did. Not only did we find out that she was cousins with Lily, and that she was related to the Grangers as well, but we also discovered your and Neville's eventual coupleship," Snape sighed, "She was extraordinarily overwhelmed. I didn't want to overwhelm her more, but she's like you. She's stubborn. So I told her everything, about me and Lily, so long ago. I assume you know the story?"

"Yes, Harry told me," Maggie sighed.

"She was so exceptionally overwhelmed by everything, still, but she was also exceptionally touched. She was amazed that anyone could do so much for love, unrequited love at that. I suppose it was extraordinary," Snape sneered slightly, before sighing, "And she understood completely why I switched. Hence, besides Albus, she was the person I was suddenly closest to, in the entire living world."

"And the three of you became good friends, I'm aware," Maggie frowned angrily.

"It didn't take long for my unrequited romantic feelings for her to also be discovered. She guessed soon enough, but she didn't tell me she knew. She guessed because of how similar she was to Lily, in every manner. I don't know if it was a… twisted… idea, but it was there. Soon enough, however, she fell for me, for reasons unfathomable to myself. I don't understand fully what spurred it on. Yes, we were close, but that doesn't mean anything. But, one night just before the start of term, she kissed me," Snape took a deep breath.

"And?" Maggie asked softly.

"It was the briefest romance, I believe, of all time. We shagged, and she realized the mistake she had made, and I was heartbroken once again, but I had been expecting it the whole time. About five hours. But what neither of us were expecting was that she would have conceived a child," Snape sighed.

"Continue," Maggie finally sat down in the Headmistress' chair, massaging her feet.

"When she found out, we were still talking and friends, but the awkwardness was there. She came into Dumbledore's office, upset and crying. Dumbledore is the reason we got through it. He hid Melinda in the castle when her visa expired, helped her through the pregnancy, and found a home for Wilfric when it was all over, and helped Melinda out of the country again," Snape sighed again.

"Where is Wilfric?" Maggie demanded.

"Living with Dumbledore's friends, Señor and Señora Vasquez, in Madrid, Spain. I believe that means he's attending Bauxbatons and is the age of fourteen or so, soon to be fifteen," Snape paused, "He was born May 2nd, 1996."

There was a long pause as we all stared at each other.

"What were you going to do if my mum actually made it to the UK?" Maggie asked very quietly, "What were you thinking, that whole year?"

"I don't know what I would have done. Demanded that we go to meet Wilfric once and for all, or demand that we pretend to hate each other so I could keep up our cover. I haven't seen my son since he was taken to Spain," Snape sighed.

"And the second question?" Maggie furthered.

"I thought of how similar you were to your mother in your personality. Of how you were ignoring what was obviously in front of you- Neville," Snape smiled slightly, "Of how excessively, endlessly stubborn you were."

"How did my mum react to the whole Neville thing? Did the two of you conspire to get us together?" Maggie asked softly. I looked at her, moderately hurt.

"I'm glad you did, you numpty," Maggie whispered affectionately, turning in my direction briefly.

"Your mum did indicate that she was bringing you with her so you could meet Longbottom, yes. I did nothing I wouldn't have done otherwise," Snape shrugged.

Maggie finally rested her head in her hands and I walked over behind her to hold her shoulders gently.

"Well, Dumbledore? Why did you never tell me?" Harry asked very softly next.

"Harry…" Dumbledore sighed from his portrait.

"I don't get it, Dumbledore. You said you put me with the Dursleys because they were the only living relatives of my mum. But they weren't. My blood would have been just as protected if I was with them, and they would have loved me infinitely more. And I wasn't nearly as famous over in the US, so it wasn't like I would have grown up with a big head. And they could have sent me to Hogwarts, easy, when I turned eleven. You would have allowed it. So why?" Harry asked.

There was dead silence in the room. Elena and Maggie were watching Harry with concern, and Ginny was glaring at Dumbledore's portrait.

"It would have been much more complicated for you to have to come to the UK after living in America all those years and being greeted with-"

"As complicated as it was to be introduced to the Wizarding Word _and_ as a celebrity? As complicated as being completely unloved during my formative years and then being completely overwhelmed and burdened during my adolescence?" Harry looked mad, positively mad.

"The protection was stronger with Petunia-"

"You can't prove that," Harry glared, "Alright. I guess that's all I needed to know," and he quietly left the office, not even slamming doors. Ginny followed him quickly, as did Hermione and Ron. I helped up Maggie, as did Elena, and we left the office without a word.

"I love cleaning up other people's messes," Maggie sighed as we waddled out of the office and into the corridor.

Elena nodded in assent, but in that moment Maggie started to fall, looking sick to her stomach. I helped her and she groaned softly as I supported her completely in my arms.

"I think you need to start bed rest. Today," I sighed. Maggie nodded, looking up at me.

"I don't even think I can get to the house," Maggie sighed.

"I'm prepared for this. I was actually going to suggest it. Do you want to live in my office until you give birth? That way I won't have to leave Hogwarts to take care of you, and you can still see the children," I offered. Maggie nodded and I reached down to pick her up, carrying her gingerly to the office. To say she wasn't heavy would be a lie, but to say that I wasn't determined would be a lie as well.

Harry and the others were waiting in the office as I gingerly laid Maggie down on the bed. She sighed with relief and relaxed on the bed sheets, closing her eyes.

"What now?" Ginny asked softly.

There was silence to meet the question. I sat at the foot of Maggie's bed, gently massaging her feet.

"There's nothing much we can do. The Unionist war hasn't reached the UK and I'm not going to hasten its coming," Harry muttered.

Elena and Maggie gave each other very significant looks.

"We would have loved for you to be our foster brother, Harry," Maggie murmured softly. Harry looked up abruptly from the floor and at her.

"Thank you," Harry sighed.

"I'm proud to call you my cousin, Maggie," Hermione smiled, "You too, Elena."

"Thank you," Maggie and Elena responded at once, smiling in return.

"When will you look for Wilfric? Will you look for Wilfric?" Ron asked.

"After the sixtuplets are born," I paused, "I don't want to leave Maggie out of this, and she can't do anything now until they're born."

"Alright. Let's clear out everyone. Unless… Do you want to talk to Maggie, Harry?" Ginny whispered.

"I'd like to, yes," Harry sighed.

"I have to get back to the Hospital," Elena gave Harry a hug, "But I'll talk to you soon. You too, Hermione," and she hugged her as well. Everyone but Harry cleared out, going through the fireplace, leaving the three of us in the room together.

"What was it like, growing up in your home?" Harry asked quietly. His voice was so silent, the most silent I had ever heard him speak.

"Mum and Dad were… wonderful," Maggie answered, equally quietly. Harry went to sit cross-legged next to the bed, their faces near each other. "They didn't spoil us, but they made sure we were entertained and learning at the same time. My fondest memories were of watching muggle dinosaur documentaries and playing with toy broomsticks with Elena. We had legos as well, no video games- mum _hated_ those- and lots of awesome magical toys. Starting when we were six, we took trips every summer to various American, Mexican and Canadian magical hotspots. The forests of British Columbia. The deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. The Mayan and Aztec ruins. The Rockies," Maggie smiled softly, "Where I met Thailus."

"Right," Harry nodded.

"When I went off to school, I went to a school very close, so I still visited home a lot," Maggie paused, "My father was stern and stubborn- he was very much a rule follower, and very dedicated to our family. My mum was kind and loving, but very stubborn and didn't take bullshit. She broke the rules a lot more than my dad."

"Thank you," Harry smiled softly.

"I wonder what it would have been like, growing up with you in the house?" Maggie commented thoughtfully, playfully messing Harry's hair.

"We'd have been insane, I feel," Harry grinned.

"Well, you're part of the family now," Maggie paused, "I'm really glad."

There was a long silence as I finished massaging Maggie's feet and we sat there in a triangle.

"What should we do about the war?" Harry finally asked, groaning and sitting back against my desk.

"I dunno. It hasn't reached Britain _yet_. I don't want to worry until it does," Maggie sighed.

"Should we get dragons?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know. I really don't think it'll be too necessary," Maggie paused, "Maybe. We'll see. It's a complex, draining process, and I don't want you guys to rush into it with dragons you barely know just so you can be on an even fighting field. First off, you're quite old- your bonds won't be as strong as a normal one, anyway. Second off, you're both amazing fighters as it is without it. If the war comes and it seems necessary, then we'll start. But if we can get by without it, I'd rather do that."

Harry and I nodded in assent, though I felt I'd have a strong enough bond with Emralda by default.

"How are we going to find the fourth person?" I sighed.

"We'll cross that bridge when the war comes to our shores," Maggie paused, "I don't… I have no clue at all."

Harry nodded and stood up, "I'd better be getting back. See you guys," Harry left through the floo and the two of us remained, staring at each other.

"I like to think we would have found each other anyway, destiny or no," Maggie whispered. I smiled slightly.

"Me too," I paused, "I can't believe we were always going to get together."

"It's really not that surprising," Maggie chuckled. I leaned over her form to kiss her, propping myself above her stomach.

"I should call the kids in here to tell them," I murmured, looking down at her eyes with a newfound appreciation.

"Probably," Maggie paused, leaning up to kiss me again, "I love you."

"I love you too," I nuzzled her cheek gently and got off the bed, walking over to the door, "I would have loved you no matter what."

Maggie beamed at me and settled into the bed cushions, closing her eyes. I walked down the corridor to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Inside, there were very few students, and all looked moderately startled to see me.

"Where are Teddy, Victoire, Nate and Alice?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Haven't seen 'em, sir," Anthony Garbert called from the edge of the Common Room.

"Last I saw them they were out on the grounds," Helena Wilson murmured from her chair near the door.

"Thanks," I groaned, turning around and going back through the corridor. It was almost curfew, so I cheerfully told the students I met along the way that they should be getting back to their common rooms. Finally, I reached the grounds. I went to Hagrid's Hut immediately.

"Rubeus? Rubeus!" I shouted, knocking on his door. He came out, beaming at me through his increasingly white beard.

"Neville! What can I do fer ye?" Hagrid asked cheerfully.

"My kids and Teddy and Victoire are in the forest, I'll bet a million galleons. Can you look for them?" I sighed.

Hagrid rolled his eyes, "Those four. Such troublemakers I've never seen! Should I bring 'em to yer office?"

"Yes please, I need to talk to Nate and Alice," I sighed. Hagrid grabbed his crossbow and Fang and left out into the woods. I turned back and went up to the castle, grumbling to myself, sick out of my mind with worry. I entered my office again to find Maggie sound asleep. I went to do what I always found myself doing back when we were just kids, fighting a revolution. I tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead. Unlike when I was a child, however, I didn't get a flame of worry that she would realize I had kissed her in her sleep.

I sat at my desk, running my hand through my hair with worry. Eventually, I decided to turn on the Wireless to listen, very softly so that Maggie could continue to sleep.

"It has finally happened," Lee Jordan declared through the radio. I looked up and looked at the radio intently.

"The Unionists have declared war on the UK. The Ministry is in chaos trying to figure out what to do next, and the country is immediately going through panic. No country has been able to stand up to the Unionists, it is like the muggle Hitler all over again. The Wizengamot is beginning to suspect any and all former Americans and Americans living here temporarily are being deported back-"

I slammed off the radio, looking in concern at my wife. She was still asleep.

She and the kids and Elena were citizens now, but I was absolutely terrified. What would happen now? She was clearly not a Unionist but the Wizengamot went crazy sometimes and-

A loud knock issued on the door. I opened it hurriedly. Hagrid was standing there with the four kids, all with more tears in their clothes and dirt in their hair, looking at the floor.

"Teddy, Victoire, I'll deal with you later," I sighed, "I need to talk to Alice and Nate, alone."

Victoire and Teddy nodded and left with Hagrid, who grumbled about their irresponsibility.

"First off," I sighed as I closed the door behind my children as they walked in, "What in the name of Dumbledore were you doing?"

There was a long silence as Alice and Nate looked at each other briefly.

"We were looking for Grawp, dad," Nate sighed, "It was Alice's idea."

"Was not! It was Teddy's!" Alice groaned.

"I bet it was both of yours. Be a little quieter, will you? Your mum's trying to sleep, she's going to do her bed rest here," I sighed. Alice and Nate nodded in unison.

"Second off, I won't give you a detention, but I want you to be brave in the next coming weeks," I sighed softly.

"Why?" both asked in unison.

"The war… The Unionists have declared war on the UK," I continued.

Both of them immediately looked terrified. Nate looked like he was about to start crying.

"Your mum doesn't know, she fell asleep after I found out. It's been a trying day," I paused, "But the report said that all Americans are under suspicion now."

Alice and Nate both looked even more scared, their mouths open.

"I have no idea what that means, but we'll pull through this, alright?" I sighed. Both of them nodded mutely, walking over to me and hugging me.

"Finally, we went to the wizard genealogy today," I sighed, "Sit down for this one."

They sat on the floor of the office and I explained everything, feeling emotionally exhausted as I did so. There was so much that had happened today that all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

When I finished, both were staring at me with open mouths.

"Now, off to bed. Who knows what will come tomorrow," I sighed. Both nodded and got up, giving me another hug before leaving the office. I immediately went to bed next to Maggie, staring up at the ceiling and praying for a miracle.

AN: So, when this story is over (and it will be over, I'm sorry, it only goes to 54 chapters and I can't make it any longer than that,) I have many possible stories. One is the story of Melinda, Maggie's mum, and Snape. It's a short story and not a happy one either- starts in tears and ends in new tears sort of deal. The other is an exceptionally long series- seven books- about Albus Potter, that takes place in this Potterverse. Meaning, a Longbottom child or two may make an appearance, and dragon riding shows up as well, and of course Professor Longbottom is a beast. So- to make this chapter extra special long- I have passages from both! Here's part of the singleton story of Melinda and Snape (all stuff written after this point is subject to extreme editing.)

_Melinda had not talked to me in weeks. She was sitting at the long table at Headquarters, her dark red hair pulled back into a bun, making me mad at her for hiding away Li- her- hair. She is talking adamantly with Sirius Black. The bastard. First Potter steals Lily and now Black is going to-_

**_She's married, you idiotic buffoon_**_, I thought to myself, **she's married and would never be interested in a 'greasy haired prick' like you. You've got to accept the fact that you were meant to live a life forever alone, dedicated to the image of a woman who long gave up on your and whose death was the only way you could ever change.**_

_I had been watching around the corner for too long, and I was aware of it. I was supposed to be at the meeting, too. The Potter boy was going to be picked up _today_ from his muggle prison and we had to get most of the meeting done if Black and Weasley were to be able to finally explain what was going on… _

_It's her laugh that drives me into action- she's laughing at something Black said, and my jealousy suddenly bubbles up again. I straighten out and walk into the room, sitting down at the table. Black immediately glares at me and Melinda's eyes are just as cold as they had been yesterday, the day before that, and the day before _that_. Dumbledore comes up to the head of the table and nods at me. _

_The meeting is usual- plans about keeping the Dark Lord's armies small, keeping Death Eaters locked up and Dementors away, and the Giants as _our_ allies and not someone else's. It takes discussing American involvement again for her to actually look at me with those eyes that I've only seen behind glasses for five years until now, and only so she can address my question. _

_When the question has been addressed and answered, she turns back to talk to Albus. Albus' eyes briefly flash back to mine and then to focus fully on Melinda. I know he knows. I know he knows I know he knows. But I know, as well, that he would never intervene in this. After all, she is married. She's married. She has two children. Margaret and Elena. Two. Children. _

**_But you're sick of having everyone hate you_**_, a small voice in the back of my head whispered, like some sort of ghost. The voice sounded like Lily- the one thing of hers that Melinda did not have. _

_The voice was completely right. I was sick of having everyone hate you. I might be cruel at times, and a Slytherin at heart, but I still required more human companionship besides cold and conniving Death Eaters I didn't actually care for and a loony old man who knew much more about me than I cared to admit. _

_Melinda wanted to know why I supported this side, when I had so much going for me with the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, and it was the side I had been on for most of my existence. Lily was her cousin. If anyone deserved to know, it was her. _

_There was a ruckus out in the hallway- they must have been back with the Potter boy. I looked over my shoulder to see him in the hallway. I then turned to Melinda and wondered, briefly, if the boy would think she was his mother. I thought so at first, but… and I say this with a begrudging heart… when it comes to Lily Evans, my head is less on my shoulders than his is. But only in that. _

_Weasley gets up to close the door and I've made my decision to finally confront her. Albus basically ordered me to regardless, he didn't need any more anger between members of the Order. There was enough between me and Black for the entire membership. _

_I got up and went to Melinda as we all began to walk out of the hall. Shouting can be heard upstairs; the Potter boy is furious. Melinda sees me walking next to her and looks away angrily. I can tell that Black is shooting daggers at my back, sharper ones than usual, but I ignore them. _

_"Melinda," I whisper. The Order members around me seem shocked. I seldom called anyone by their first name; the only ones I can remember are Melinda and Albus. _

_She ignores me and continues to walk, but at a quicker pace. I feel like I've been through this pain before- oh wait. I have. Lily, walking away from me like this, sticks out in my memory like a rusty nail from a wall as I walk past. _

_"Melinda!" I said, louder that time. I knew I was making a scene. I was past caring. She turned to me, her green eyes narrowing in distaste._

_"I have to call my daughter, she's getting back from her tour of the Rockies. What do you want?" she demanded. _

_"I want to talk to you," I growled in equal annoyance. Melinda continued to glare, but she gestured for me to follow her out into the alleyway. We continued to walk through London until we reached a small muggle café, where we sat in a booth across from each other. _

_"Well?" she snapped. Her voice, literally, was like a crack in the air around me. _

_"I will tell you why I've joined the Order of the Phoenix," I hissed angrily. Melinda's eyes immediately softened. _

_"But first, I want to check out a hunch. You look like… someone. Someone I once knew," I continued, "That's the catch. I'll tell you if we go to the Wizarding Genealogy archives and look at your ancestry." _

_"Fine," Melinda's eyes became hard again and she spit out the word angrily. We both stood up from the café and walked towards the Ministry of Magic. I knew I didn't have a permit to access the Genealogy, but security wasn't very tight. We could get in, quite easily._

After that incident they tightened security. I could keep going- in all seriousness- but I want you guys to actually want to read the thing.

And here is a passage from the fifth book of my Albus Potter series. I'm still debating on titles but I know this happens. Also, Mae is my OC for that one- full name Mae Penelope Eddinson, muggleborn… ish. Long story. Seven books' worth.

_Albus was fairly confused. They weren't at the Ministry anymore, but in a huge green forest. Lichen covered the trees, the ground, _everything_. Rose looked so confused as she turned around on the spot, her robes flying around her like a spinning wheel. Scorpius scratched his head and looked at the moss. Mae immediately bent down to the earth and examined it. _

_"I know where we are," she commented offhandedly. The other three turned to her in confusion. _

_"Yeah, Scales?" Scorpius asked, folding his arms across his chest, "Cause I have no idea."_

_"You're acting like your father, Tufts. But yeah. My parents and I came here when I was a little girl to get in touch with our 'Celtic heritage,' aka, me mum missed Ireland," Mae rolled her eyes. _

_"So we're in Ireland?" Albus fiddled with his glasses for a moment, frowning at Mae. _

_"Not only that, but I think we managed to escape them without realizing who we were," Rose stammered nervously, "Do you think your father recognized you, Prongs?"_

_"No, I don't think so," Albus turned to look at the dense forest around them, "But, Feathers, do you feel-"_

_"I feel he recognized Scales' eyes," Rose sighed, "They're somewhat distinctive."_

_"Somewhat?" Mae snapped, "They're almost as distinctive as Albus'. I'm glad he didn't get a shot of those." _

_"I just can't believe we apparated. We're fifth years," Scorpius muttered. _

_"Well, we somehow managed to, but Mae took the wheel and brought us to unknown Celtic land," Albus sighed. The use of given names startled the other three into seriousness. _

_"We're in deep shit now, aren't we?" Mae sighed, "We can't keep this up, they'll figure out we're-" _

_"No, we have to. We're the only ones who know how to stop those stupid things, the only ones since our first year," Rose demanded, in a moment of uncharacteristic bravery for her, "Or else the whole of the wizarding world will be overrun by… shadows." _

_"I know," Albus nodded, "But we can't blow our cover like that. First off, we'll get in serious trouble with Professor Bones. Second off, we can't let the Shadowlurkers know that we're their main threat, or they'll target our families, like they did in the English Wizarding Civil War or the Unionist War, and you know it."_

_"Third off, the longer we remain anonymous, the more of an advantage over them we hold," Mae whispered. _

_"I want to figure out how the Shadows even work. Then. Then we'll be able to destroy them completely," Rose kicked a tree angrily. _

_"I want to remain unknown simply because of the amount of trouble we'll get into when authorities find out we're Unreg-" Scorpius began. _

_"Trust us, we all know," Rose walked over to him and patted his shoulder, "We all know how much trouble we'll be in. And for using magic outside of Hogwarts, too! We have to be more careful."_

_"I had a vision," Mae muttered feebly. _

_"I know," Rose walked back over to Mae and patted her shoulder, "And it was good you did, or else Albus' father and Mrs. Longbottom might have died. But we have to think things through more next time-"_

_"If we had thought things through back then, they _would have _died. And then Professor Longbottom would have died too, at least on the inside, and you know it, and Albus would have lost his father. There's such a thing as over-calculation, Rose," Mae hissed. _

_There was silence between the two friends as Rose fiddled with her blue and bronze scarf. Scorpius stared down at his similarly colored tie, awkwardly sitting on a rock. _

_"I'm going to go for a walk," Mae stood up, straightening her red and gold scarf, and walked through the woods. Albus watched her for a long time, pulling off his red and gold tie and folding it, loosening his collar. _

_"You should follow her, mate," Scorpius sighed. Albus looked at Rose and Scorpius, now sitting together, and nodded. _

_"You two will be OK?" Albus asked softly. _

_"Course, Prongs," Scorpius grinned and held out his fist. Albus pounded it, grinning as he replied, "Tufts. Alright, I'll be back." _

_Albus considered shifting for a moment but decided against it as he navigated through the woods, finally reaching her at the edge of it. They looked out over a green, grass-covered cliff, overlooking a valley. Mae was feeling the grass beneath newly-bare feet and in between her fingers, sprawled over it and sighing, humming a soft song that sounded like a Celtic melody. _

_"You alright, Mae?" Albus asked softly, sitting next to her in the grass. _

_She sat up and stared at him, her blue eyes piercing his green, "Yes." _

Ha. I love both those passages. Anywho, I really hope you guys will stick with me for both those stories- though, the seven part book series about Albus? Lesse. It's going to take me a full year to finish the bulk of this three-book series (the beginning where I didn't have the urge to write doesn't count.) So, a year per three times seven- a little over two years to do it. And then you have to factor in the fact I'll probably get a job or something for a bio lab, grad school applications, studying abroad- and there's the very real fact that I might grow out of fanfiction, but I doubt it, because it's how I keep Harry Potter alive for me and I need that, turns out. So two years at the very, very least, you'd have to stick with the story. Huh. I promise, it's exciting though. And I have TONS of one-shots about Maggie and Neville's kids, because of course they live interesting lives, but none of them have really huge _wars_ that they're a part of- Alice and Nate's war is Maggie's war, and all the other kids just kinda lived through Albus' war. So it's mostly fluff about who they end up with, growing up with Neville and Maggie, normal life, etc. I also have one-shots of certain portions of the first part of Hand Magic in Neville's pov. Also, any other stories you guys would like- just suggest!

Anywho, thanks to ohmyfickleheart and sexii-chan and Oh-holy-ruler-mika-chan for reviewing… I'd enjoy four reviews for the next chapter but looks like we're getting about half of that/three fourths on a good day. Ah well. Since I start school soon anyway, I doubt I would be able to update with twenty million reviews. I'm taking organic chemistry. There are priorities in life that I need to have sorted, as Ron would order.

Four reviews! Love you guys!


	44. Ch 7: Trial

Ch. 7: Trial

_Why drink the water from my hand?  
Contagious as you think I am  
Just tilt my sun towards your domain  
Your cup runneth over again_

_Don't scream about  
Don't think aloud  
Turn your head now baby  
Just spit me out  
Don't worry about  
Don't speak of doubt  
Turn your head now baby  
Just spit me out  
~ December by Collective Soul_

The months before the sixtuplets were born were harrowing. As the Ministry of Magic prepared to come to war with the Unionists, who had not yet begun to attack our shores, unrest in the country increased exponentially. No one wanted another war so soon after the last one had ended, and though Voldemort wasn't involved, the lines between good and evil were blurred, and as such tensions were even higher. We just wanted to be left alone, but the Unionists wanted our shores, our dragons, and Maggie.

Maggie confined herself to the bed, reading books like some sort of machine, clearly happy to be fully relaxed for the first time in a very, very long time. I continued to teach to my students, though, the dynamic in the school had deeply changed.

The children still enjoyed my teaching, of course, and I didn't have many problems in the classroom. But one afternoon, in April close to the end of term, I came out of my room to find a huge fistfight going on in the corridor.

"Hey! HEY!" I shouted, running forward and prying the kids off each other. One of them was a Hufflepuff second year by the name of Hamish Flatery. The other was none other than Teddy Lupin. Both were some of my star students and I looked at them in amazement. Teddy was supporting a cut lip and Hamish had blood flowing from his nose.

"Will one of you please tell me the meaning of this?" I yelled, "I'd never expect something like this from the two of you. Hamish, you wouldn't hurt a fly! And Teddy, since when do you pick on others? I'd never-"

"He would hurt a fly, Professor Longbottom," Teddy snapped angrily, glaring at me through a small shiner appearing on his left eye, "He would hurt two specific flies, in fact."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, looking in concern as Hamish stemmed the flow of blood to his nose and tenderly cradled his shoulder blade.

"I was just coming to ask if you needed any help with tomorrow's batch of mandrakes, and I overheard Hamish' conversation with Rich and Nikki," Teddy rushed, "He was talking to them, saying mean and horrible things about… about…"

"About who, Teddy?" I sighed. I knew Hamish, and how benevolent he was to his other classmates. However, Teddy hardly ever fought without provocation, he was too much of his father's son according to Harry.

"About Alice and Nate!" Teddy finally spit out, looking mortified.

I stared at him in shock, "What?"

"It's true!" Teddy continued, "It's completely true! He was talking about Nate and Alice like… like…"

"He was calling them a pair of crazy Dragon Lovers, and talked about how they were going to take over Hogwarts with their mum and feed us all to dragons, and help the Unionists take over," Nikki, a very small and timid second year Ravenclaw, whispered.

I looked at Hamish in amazement. I couldn't believe it. "Is this true?"

Hamish didn't do anything, but continued to try and stem the bleeding. I whipped out my wand and muttered, "Episkey," under my breath and his nose healed.

"Well?" I snapped.

Hamish did nothing but stare at the floor. I was still shocked, but fury was beginning to enter me.

"Answer me, Flatery!" I shouted. Hamish continued to look at his shoes. I never got angry with students, never even really shouted at them, but I roughly pulled Hamish's head up to look at me.

"DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT SAY THESE THINGS?" I yelled.

"So what if I did, Professor Longbottom?" Hamish snapped back, now looking angry, "So what?"

"To begin with," I let go of the boy in fury, "Those are my wife and children you're talking about-"

"You sure about that? They were a surprise," Hamish muttered.

I felt more anger course through me, "Yes. I am absolutely positive. And it is not your place, Mr. Flatery, to know exactly how I can be so sure of this, or to judge the fact for yourself! Do you understand?"

Hamish shrugged in annoyance.

"Second off," I continued angrily, "That is the biggest lie I have heard since ex-Minister Fudge went around telling people Voldemort was still dead. What would lead you to believe that?"

"They're American and both Alice and her mum are Dragon Riders," Hamish muttered, "The Ministry says-"

"Didn't you just hear me? You can never trust what the Ministry says! And in case you didn't know, they fled their country because they disagree with the Unionists, and _my wife_ fought them and is now their number one enemy!" I hissed.

"Well the Ministry says that all American Dragon Riders want everyone else to be-"

"That's insane. I'll be having a talk with the Wizengamot," because I knew Kingsley wasn't behind it, "And why would you believe such things when you've known Alice and Nate for almost a whole year?"

"They're American! The Americans are attack us, sir, and you should learn which side you're on!" Hamish roared defiantly.

"Just because they're-" I fumed in amazement, "Do you realize how prejudiced, idiotic, and bigoted you sound right now? You've gotten along great with them for the better part of a year but the _moment_ you get scared of something you turn on them because they're easy! You're turning them into scapegoats! And just so we're clear, my wife and children are now British citizens. There is no picking sides- I'm on their side and they're on the side of Kingsley and the Ministry."

"Everyone else is talking like this-" Hamish muttered.

"What?" I hissed dangerously.

"Yes, Professor," Teddy sighed, "Most of the school is ostracizing Alice and Nate. Just the Gryffindors aren't, like me and Vicky-"

"How long has this been going on? Neither of them have told me anything," I whispered.

"A month," Teddy answered equally quietly, "Ever since the Ministry put out those pamphlets on the Unionists."

I sighed in amazement, "Why haven't they…"

"They didn't want to worry you and they thought it would blow over," Teddy whispered.

I stared around at the congregation of students, amazed by the weight this had just put on my shoulders, "Teddy, Hamish, go to the hospital wing. Teddy, detention for fighting. Hamish, a week's detentions."

"What-?"

"You heard me."

"You're playing favorites for Teddy—"

"No, I'm protecting the reputations of my wife and children," I hissed back in a dangerously low voice, "You picked the wrong office to have this conversation outside of."

"I'm a kid, aren't I supposed to have-"

"This kind of thing is equally awful to say whether you're a child or an adult. Ten points from Hufflepuff while I'm at it. Now, go to the Hospital Wing, both of you," I ordered angrily, "And the rest of you, clear out, unless you want me to punish you too."

Everyone ran from the corridor, Hamish glaring at me over his shoulder. I went back into my office, slamming the door and resting my forehead against it in amazement.

"I can't say I'm surprised, Nev," Maggie sighed from her bed. I looked up to see her propped up slightly to look at me better.

"Why, love?" I groaned, sitting next to her.

"I know that everyone in the country is on edge right now. And Hamish is right. We're American. My country did this too on many occasions- we target the people who come from the place we're afraid of. Your country's done this before as well- Germans weren't popular, if I remember correctly, during the World Wars. It's only natural. He's scared, so he turns to the only concrete thing he can be scared of and fights it," Maggie shrugged, resting her head on my shoulder.

"But our kids are being ostracized by three fourths of the school…" I moaned, putting my face in my hands.

"They'll get through it. It won't last forever and it's not like they don't have friends anymore. Clearly they have two amazingly close friends, after all. And soon enough the Ministry will be fighting, me too, and it'll be clear where our allegiance lies," Maggie sighed.

"It should be clear now! You fled the country for Merlin's sake!" I snapped in anger.

"I know, but things in war aren't black and white like that. Trust me. I lived in fear for ten years," she smiled at me slightly, "It wasn't a popular time to be a Dragon Rider, even if I was known to work for the UDRA. The Unionists had spies, after all, and Dragon Riding itself was the cause of all the conflict."

I sighed again and kissed the top of her head before getting up, "I'm going to go talk to Nate and Alice."

"Have fun with that one. If they didn't want you to know they're not going to be happy you do," Maggie picked up her book again, "Be gentle."

"Of course," I nodded and left sadly.

The end of the year didn't improve things as fear mounted. The twins did excellently in their exams, but the students around them were unrelenting. I found, upon closer investigation, that there were some Ravenclaws and Slytherins who didn't think they were the enemy, but every single Hufflepuff I could hear or interrogate did. I had no clue why, usually it would have been Slytherins but…

Well. The conflict wasn't Slytherin versus Gryffindor anymore, was it? It was now Britain versus Unionists and let's face it, the Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty.

School got out and Alice and Nate enjoyed living in the castle with no one else to bother them. Maggie could barely move as the pregnancy continued, making her frustrated with her lack of sunlight and fresh air. I couldn't wait for the babies to just be born already. She had suffered long enough for something she hadn't even wished for in the first place.

By the end of the summer, fear had mounted so much I feared for my children's safety when school started. But, I had an interesting call a week before term started. Maggie was sleeping on the bed, so heavily pregnant there wasn't much else she could do. Nate and Alice were playing out on the Grounds, supervised by Hagrid. Victoire and Teddy were going to stop by later.

There was a knock on the door and I opened it, amazed to be getting a caller in the summer, to see Teddy there. His hair was bright green today and he looked up at me with pleading eyes.

"Professor-"

"It's not school, Teddy, you can call me Uncle Neville," I smiled slightly.

"Right, Uncle Neville, um, can I talk to you about something?" Teddy asked softly.

"Of course," I nodded, allowing him into my office, "What is it?"

"Next year, I have a promise for you," Teddy stated firmly. He was barely thirteen, and looked it- scrawny, awkward, still young but starting to not be so. But he clearly was trying to be tough, brave, and like an adult. I could tell just by his stance- it was a stance many adolescents (the age group I was most familiar with, obviously) took when they wanted to make an impression or communicate the deepness of their convictions. "A promise that really extends until the end of time, I think."

"OK, what is it? And I assume you mean school year," I smiled slightly.

"Starting this moment, really," Teddy shrugged.

"Alright… go on," I offered.

"I promise to protect Alice and Nate," Teddy declared, "From the other kids. From anyone, really, who wants to hurt them."

"Teddy, you don't have to do that…" I sighed in amazement.

"No, but I do," Teddy paused, "Trust me. Anywho, I figured you deserved to know."

"Alright," I nodded, "If that's what you'll do, then who am I to stop you?"

Teddy nodded, "Thank you, Uncle Neville. Anyways, I better go back out there to play," he paused, "I'm glad you had them, you know."

I smiled slightly, "Thank you, son."

Teddy ran out of my office and I watched him go in amusement.

The rest of the summer of 2011 passed peacefully. Though the US had declared war on us, they were still too weak to actually fight us, so it was more of a cold war than anything else.

September 1st. The most important day of the school year, really. The most chaotic, at least.

And I was not there.

I was inside of St. Mungo's, standing next to the bed of my wife, letting her practically squeeze my hand off as she went into labor.

"GOD DAMMIT NEVILLE IF WE WEREN'T DESTINED TO HAVE FOUR MORE KIDS I WOULD SAY NO. NO NO NO. NEVER. OH MY GOD IT IS GOING TO BE A DAMNED LONG TIME UNTIL WE HAVE THEM MARK MY WORDS!" Maggie screamed, her face beaded with sweat as she sat on the hospital bed. Padma, who also was good with baby delivery, smirked slightly at me from her position helping Maggie.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," I sighed.

Thanks to the bond, I was one of the few men in the world who got to feel exactly how much pain their wife went through during labor.

Getting hit in the nuts does _not_ hurt as much.

Maggie continued to scream, holding tightly to my hand. I grimaced, amazed with all the pain contained with what was supposedly a joyous moment.

Everyone was waiting outside of course- not Nate and Alice, they had to go to school, nor any of my colleagues. But Harry and his family was there, Elena, Hermione and her family, Seamus and Dean and their broods.

"GOD DAMMIT!" Maggie screamed again.

"You're at ten centimeters, Maggie, it's time to start," Padma smiled encouragingly, "Push!"

The first one to come out, after much more pain and screaming and cursing, was a girl, with soft brown down on the crown of her head. Six bassinets were waiting next to us and as I gently laid her into the soft basket, I began to feel that extreme joy people always talked about.

"Hello Luna Emily," I smiled slightly at the little baby, kissing her forehead, "Welcome."

"Alright, baby number two!" Padma declared.

"Baby number two!" I repeated, grinning from ear to ear. Maggie glared at me slightly before sighing, "Baby number two."

The next one was also a girl, one with red hair that would be the envy of the Weasleys. I grinned and put her into her bassinet, murmuring, "And hello to you, Kylie Elena."

"I'm glad you remember the names," Maggie panted, clearly exhausted.

"How could I not? You ready?" I encouraged, going back over to her as our band of friends outside took the two babies away to hold and care for.

"Baby number three! Come on, Maggie, it's not good to draw it out too long-" Padma sighed.

"Baby number three!" I encouraged.

"Baby number three," Maggie growled, pushing once more. This time it was a boy.

"Hello, Jethro Phillip," I wasn't even jealous of the name as I cradled the child in my arms. His hair was black, his eyes already open and looking at the world as I placed him in his crib.

"Baby number four! Halfway done!" Padma cheered.

"Baby number four," I smiled and kissed Maggie's forehead.

"Baby number four. Good god," Maggie groaned as she went back to pushing. I wanted to take away her pain, like at the wedding, but I was clueless as to how.

It was another boy, one completely identical to Jethro, in facial features and hair and even the eyes that had just opened.

"Well hello, Severus Dean," I smiled and put him down in another crib, "Looks like you've got an identical twin."

"Oh, great," Maggie sighed, "It could have been five?"

"Don't focus on that, focus on the fact you have two more! Baby number five!" Padma cheered.

"Baby number freaking five," Maggie groaned, "Oh God."

I held both of her hands in mine as baby number five, another boy, came out. He was not identical, but supported the same brown highlighted hair as his mother.

"Hello Seamus Ezra! Welcome to you too," I grinned and settled him in a crib. His namesake quickly ran in to grab him, grinning at me before going back out to where the other four babies were.

"Last one Maggie! Last one!" Padma cheered.

"Come ON!" Maggie screamed, pushing so hard the last one came out very quickly. It was a girl, as we knew.

"Hello, Minerva Renee," I smiled and kissed her very red head- or hair, at least, "Hello."

"Oh thank God," Maggie sighed, collapsing back on the bed as Padma cleaned up and healed her, "Oh thank God."

Cheers erupted from our room of friends as they all walked into the delivery room, each adult holding a baby- Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Seamus, and Dean. (Parvati and Lavendar didn't take off work.)

"You did it! You did it!" Harry grinned, holding Jethro, who looked a lot like the man holding him.

Maggie nodded weakly, looking like she was about to collapse.

"Alright, alright guys. Let her rest, unless…?" I indicated towards the children.

"Alright, I want to hold each of them and say hi, but then let me sleep OK?" Maggie sighed. Everyone nodded, grinning. It was like a little caravan of babies as they circled around through her arms until finally she had kissed and cuddled each one, and memorized who was who.

"OK guys, let's go back out. We need to figure out how to transport them all…" I sighed.

"I rented a car. Call it a belated baby gift," Harry laughed.

I grinned and gave Harry a half-hug as he continued to hold Jethro.

"I'm amazed she lasted so long," Padma commented as she came out of the operating room, "I was expecting her to collapse after baby number four."

"Well, it's some sort of Dragon Rider thing, they can last longer during labor," I shrugged, smiling as Hermione handed me Luna.

"Yeah, I know about that, I did research," Padma paused, "I knew this amount of babies was something I had never dealt with and I prepared accordingly. But apparently once the dragon rider's body can't handle any more of the labor it goes into this automatic mode so the rider can get some sleep- around baby number four, usually, especially if there's more than five babies. Six is when this automatic labor thing usually happens, definitely for seven and up. But she kept going," Padma looked puzzled as she held one of the babies, Seamus.

"She's a strong one," I smiled fondly.

"Exceptionally strong," Padma was still frowning as she handed back Seamus to his namesake.

I shrugged and kissed the top of Luna's head, "Well, four will seem like a piece of cake after this, for her."

"I assume it'll be a while until you have the last set?" Hermione laughed.

"Of course," I nodded, "A very, very long time."

Caring for the sixlets wasn't too hard after we got into the rhythm of things. Maggie continued to take off work. I delegated the care of the greenhouses to Nate, Teddy, and some of my star students. Pomona Sprout actually came in to help with the Greenhouses when I was simply too busy to be there. Our friends didn't take off work, however, combined they had such variable hours that they managed to come in and help intermittently throughout the day. Elena didn't have any work at all, and had just bought a small cottage down the road in Hogsmeade, so she was often at our house helping with the babies. What really made it manageable, however, was the immense amount of babysitters I had at my disposal. All I had to do was promise my students an amazing amount of extra credit, and they would go down there during their free hours. I hired about thirty five students total that fall term.

Each baby had their own personality already. Luna Emily, with her brown hair and brown eyes, looked a lot like me except for the oval shape of her face. She loved to cuddle with her mother and I could see the momma's girl from a mile away.

Kylie Elena, with her exceptionally fiery red hair and green eyes, was what Lily Evans and Melinda Dickens must have looked like as babies. She was the one who never stopped crying, unless I put my pinky finger in her mouth. Not another finger, not a pacifier, and not one of Maggie's- mine.

Jethro Phillip looked a _lot_ like Harry, and he was inseparable from his twin Severus. The two preferred to sleep in the same bassinet, preferred to eat at the same time (Maggie's least favorite part,) and got very upset unless they were being changed together. However, it was clear that Severus was the dominant twin. He took charge when they moved and made sure to be the first to eat if there had to be an order. Both had black, very messy hair and green eyes.

Seamus Ezra had brown, black/light brown highlighted hair, the same as his mum, but my eyes. He was the quietest of the children, just sitting in his crib and staring up at the sky. He barely ever made his needs known and was the biggest challenge of the six, simply because we had no idea when he was hungry, needed a change, needed to burp, or wanted sleep. But he also had a certain intelligence in his actions that amazed me.

Finally, Minerva Renee, though youngest, was certainly not the least. Though all six children showed remarkable amounts of magical ability, Minerva was clearly at the same tier as her mother. She had blue eyes, the only one of the family- I couldn't remember whom among our relatives even _had_ blue eyes- and very red hair. She could make any object around her move without even being near it, made the water boil faster when I was heating baby formula, and even could move herself over a bassinet if she concentrated hard enough.

All six were miraculous and I couldn't believe it. Maggie, though she had had babies before, was also amazed. I couldn't get over them, and Alice and Nate loved them to pieces.

Around November, just as we were all getting into the swing of things, I went out to get the mail and was shocked with what I saw. A letter from the Ministry for Maggie, which wasn't unusual, but not from her department- from the Wizengamot itself.

"Maggie," I called out nervously, running back into the house. I handed her the letter as she walked over to me tiredly.

"What is it?" she sighed, before looking down at the envelope. When she did her eyes widened and she quickly opened it in shock.

I watched her nervously as she perused the letter, feeling her amazement and shock through our link. When she finished, she slid down the wall and sat on the floor. I opened my mouth to ask the question, but then she forcefully pushed the letter into my hands.

_Dear Mrs. Longbottom,_

_This is your delayed summons (on account of your pregnancy) to the Wizengamot for yourself and your children, Alice and Nathaniel Longbottom. We are writing to inform you that you, as well as your children indirectly, are under trial for suspicions of espionage and illegal Dragon Riding, meaning in short, being a part of the Unionist movement. Your trial will occur on December 4th at 9:00 in courtroom 10. Until then, you are on suspension from your employment at the Ministry. _

_Sincerely, _

_Mathalda Hopkirk  
Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

I looked up from the letter and sat next to her on the ground, pulling her into my arms and rubbing her shoulder. She looked up at me in amazement.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered.

"Tell the truth," I answered honestly, "No one in their right mind thinks you're a Unionist, they're just looking for a scapegoat."

To be completely honest, I was terrified. Terrified for my wife and our children and for what would come next. All of our friends were horrified and appalled when hearing the news. Nate and Alice were terrified for their own safety, as they were attached to the trial but still allowed to go to school.

The day of the trial, I accompanied Maggie down to the Ministry, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. I had some Hogwarts professors, as well as Nate, Alice, Teddy and Victoire (it was a Sunday) back home to baby sit the kids.

"Well," I sighed as we got to courtroom ten, "Don't worry. There's no way they can convict you for something you didn't do."

Maggie looked up at me in fear, "You don't know that."

"Yes, I do," I held her shoulders and kissed her forehead lovingly, "I promise. We'll get through this."

We entered the courtroom and Maggie went to sit in the chair in the middle of it. I stood behind her, protectively putting a hand on her shoulder, trying to not glare up at the Wizengamot.

"Well, let's start with the proceedings, shall well?" Mafalda sighed, sitting where Madam Bones once sat, I believe. Everyone around her nodded and looked grave.

"The Accused: Margaret Natalie Johnson-Longbottom, of the Ivy Cottage, Hogsmeade, Scotland. The Charges: Espionage and so called "Unionism" and treason against the Ministry," Mafalda continued with the formalities as Maggie sat there in anxiety. I gently massaged her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

"Now, you are Margaret Natalie Johnson-Longbottom, correct?" Mafalda asked.

"Yes," Maggie nodded sadly.

"And you are a Dragon Rider, correct?" Mafalda continued.

"I am, yes," Maggie sighed.

"Your dragon is… yes. Thailus Saphireback, I believe?" Mafalda asked.

"Yep," Maggie popped the p, trying to act bored, but I knew she was terrified out of her mind.

"And you are originally from the United States, yes?" Mafalda furthered.

"Yeah," Maggie assented. I could tell that she was anxious for her to get to the important things.

"And you came to this country from September 1997 to September 1998?" Mafalda continued.

"Yes, I helped with the war against Voldemort," Maggie clarified.

"With your future husband, Neville Longbottom," Mafalda nodded at me. Maggie nodded in response.

"And you were eager to come back when you were summoned back to the US for breaking some of their magical laws, yes?" Mafalda asked.

"Well, yes, but I broke them to help the cause over here and…"

"And you served for the UDRA unwillingly?"

"I wasn't unwilling, I was planning on serving for the UDRA before I met Neville and…"

"But still, your service to them was consigned, yes?"

"Yes. I was ordered to," Maggie sighed.

"And you served over there for ten years before finally being let back into the UK," Mafalda offered, "Where you married Neville and became a British citizen."

"Yes," Maggie groaned.

"As far as the Wizengamot is aware, you were finally allowed back in due to your catatonic state for the last month of your service. We were informed that this was due to prolonged separation from your future husband, Neville," Mafalda clarified.

"Yes, its part of Dragon Riding," Maggie explained.

"We are aware. However, we were also informed that you should have gone catatonic long before you had," Malfada took off her glasses, "This is where we run into trouble, Mrs. Longbottom."

"Well, I mean, I had the kids, they kept me living for a while…" Maggie sighed.

"Also, the company of a certain Mr. Jethro Rockefeller," Mafalda leaned over, "Are we correct?"

Maggie's eyes widened and I held onto her shoulder tightly as she whispered, "Yes."

"And it was his death that lead to your catatonia?" Mafalda continued.

"Yes," Maggie sighed.

"Now, as far as we are aware, Jethro was a Unionist- the second in command- prior to being captured by you, is that correct?" Mafalda asked.

"Yes, but…"

"And you grew quite close to him and even worked for the UDRA together before his death."

"Yes, but…"

"The general opinion by the UDRA, prior to its fall, was that you had changed him from his Unionist ways. However, the Wizengamot is suspicious of this. What is to say that he actually changed you and converted you into a Unionist? After all, the work you did with him was very hush-hush and secret. His death lead you to depression. You only came to your senses when promised to come back to the UK, where we believe you wished to start a UKDRA, turn into a Unionist outpost, and help the cause from abroad."

"That's absurd!" I shouted. Maggie glared at me to shut up before answering, "No, ma'am. I went catatonic due to the fact that I had lost him, yes, but that was in combination with not having seen Neville for ten years. I was brought to because I would get to see Neville again. If Neville had gone to the US, then I would have woken up just the same. I wished to create a UKDRA to assist Kingsley and to expand your Law Enforcement department. I grew to love this country when I was here, and I wouldn't do anything to hurt it. And I am vehemently opposed to Unionism. I fought for its downfall those ten long years and I would never switch."

"The Wizengamot needs more proof than your word…"

"How about mine?" a voice said from the doorway. Maggie and I looked up in amazement to see Harry Potter walk in, followed by Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger-Weasley, Ginny Weasley-Potter, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Elena Johnson, and George Weasely.

"What… What is the meaning of all-" Mafalda gasped in amazement.

Kingsley Shacklebolt then entered, looking furious.

"Minister!" Mafalda gasped even louder.

"I leave to discuss proceedings with the Mexican President of Magic, and I come back to find this," Kingsley said, his usually calm voice very furious, "Were you just waiting for me to leave, was that it?"

"Minister, the Wizengamot has legitimate fears…"

"Legitimate fears my arse!" Harry roared. Mafalda looked at him in amazement.

"That's my cousin you're slandering, Hopkirk. Oh I don't give a crap for propriety, Hermione, let go of my arm. You need a scapegoat because the people are scared and you pick the only person who you could maybe twist into a Unionist. You know perfectly well Maggie did _not_ join the Unionists, never would have never will. And you know perfectly well that she wouldn't betray us after everything she did for us. Are you seriously going to make the same mistakes of the past?" Harry demanded angrily.

"You did the same thing with Voldemort," Ron growled. I looked at our group of friends, amazed at their fury. "You accused Stan, you locked up perfectly innocent people, and for what? To make it look like you were doing something! All you're doing is ruining lives. Learn, for Dumbledore's sake!"

"You should be out there, fighting the Unionists themselves! Why lock away the only good Dragon Rider you have? You need her to start the UKDRA and get it read for when the Unionists attack! What will we do without her? Probably get pounded into ash," Hermione argued.

"She did so much for us during the Voldemort war, and this is how you repay her? Separating her from Neville for ten years and then try to lock her up? What kind of government _is_ this?" Ginny screamed.

"I demand this trial be called off at once. All charges will be cleared. Maggie, you do not need to return to work until after New Year's, I understand the sixlets and the stress this has caused you," Kingsley explained calmly, walking through the trial room, "Mafalda. You are sacked."

"What?" Mafalda gasped.

"You heard me. I am not Minister Fudge, or Scrimgeour. I will not resort to these tactics. Maybe the public will be panicky, but I will not lock up perfectly innocent- heroic, even- citizens. And this is also for your insubordination. I told you before I left that we would not be putting Margaret Longbottom on trial. You are fired. Pack up your office and leave, at once," Kingsley ordered.

The Wizengamot quietly spread out, leaving the courtroom without a sound- there were no mutterings whatsoever. Some of its members walked over to Maggie and even apologized. Maggie threw her arms around me and held me tightly around the middle.

"Thanks guys," I sighed in amazement.

"Now you know why none of us offered to babysit," Harry laughed softly.

Maggie hugged each of them in turn, tears running down her face- even Kingsley.

"Good God. The fun's just begun, hasn't it?" Maggie sniffled as she stared around the dreary courtroom.

"We have work to do," I agreed just as quietly. Her hand slipped into mine and I squeezed it tightly.

"Let's do this," Harry agreed.

AN: Thank you, JK Rowling, for making my hatred of the Ministry of Magic so big that I had to include this chapter. I would never have actually locked her up, don't worry folks. I'll try to update again tomorrow since I'll be sitting around doing nothing in my dorm (I'm the first of my friends to get back,) we'll see what happens. I'd appreciate some reviews guys! Thanks to sexii-chan and oh-holy-ruler-mika-chan for reviewing, you guys are seriously the best. Four reviews would be awesome, but any amount is great. Please, please review! Thanks for reading!


	45. Ch 8: Retrieval

Ch. 8: Retrieval

_Can nobody save us? Will anyone try?  
The bayou is burning  
The cypress has died  
And all along they're saying  
Help is on the way  
~ Help is on the Way by Rise Against_

In February, the fear amongst the populace had finally begun to calm down again. Maggie and I knew what we had to do; we had waited long enough. The children were growing up fine, and were about to reach their half-year mark. Alice and Nate were slowly reintegrating into the student populace and I felt like the brief period of terror had passed. Our lives were becoming stable enough that we both felt it was time.

Elena was still extraordinarily frail, and as such, she elected to not come with us. Though she knew that she wanted to meet him, she knew she couldn't handle such a journey just yet.

"You're going to be OK kids?" I asked Nate and Alice as Maggie and I packed our clothing into suitcases.

"We do go to Hogwarts, dad. Most kids here don't have their parents down the hall," Alice rolled her eyes. She had grown out her hair and it was now in a long plait down her back. Nate, too, had grown his hair out, and it was shaggy around his eyes. They were almost teenagers, and this fact alone overwhelmed me.

"True, but you know I have to make sure," I sighed as I slammed my suitcase shut.

"I'm amazed you've only really been a dad for a few years," Nate grinned, "You clearly have the instincts down pat."

"Certain things come naturally," I smiled slightly, "Now go on, go back to class."

Alice rolled her eyes again and walked out, Nate following close behind. Maggie sighed and gently wrapped her arms around me, looking at me sadly.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to watch them grow up ," she murmured sadly.

"It's OK," I reassured, wrapping my arms back around her, "You did a good job with them. I'm just amazed they're already twelve, nearly thirteen."

"It is amazing, I'll give you that," Maggie laughed, "But look, just look- the sixtuplets. They're still babies," she smiled, gesturing to the six cribs surrounding us.

"I can't lie though, Mags," I sighed, looking at her tiredly, "I'm worried about Seamus."

She looked up at me and nodded, "I worry about him too. But he's still very young, I don't think we can bring him to a healer to see if…"

"We both know what we're thinking, though. It's even happened in my family before- my aunt didn't go to Hogwarts because it was so bad…" I sighed.

"We'll get through it," Maggie squeezed my wrist, "He'll always be surrounded by people who love him, and that's a fact."

"When can they usually tell?" I sighed again, "I just… I don't want to leave him untreated for too long. Maybe we can dispel the severity…"

"Autism? Well, he hasn't started babbling like the other children yet," Maggie's face held an extremely sad expression, "And he definitely taps the side of his crib at a regular rhythm, which is an irregular behavior and a sign… I dunno. I almost want to wait until they turn one, just in case."

I nodded and gently pulled her into a hug, massaging her back, "We'll get through this, like everything else, I promise."

She nodded, pulling back from the hug, "I believe it. OK, we should get going, we have a long journey to Spain."

I held her hand gently and nodded in response, grabbing my bag. At that moment, Elena came in, followed closely behind by Harry.

"Hey guys," Harry grinned, giving the both of us hugs, "Don't worry, there will always be someone taking care of the babies, usually two."

"I mean, I'm not going to leave the house till you get back," Elena laughed quietly (she never laughed much above a whisper anymore,) "And most folks will come in for a time, sometimes as long as a day."

"Gin's coming by later with the kids and we're having a right little sleepover," Harry acknowledged, "You gotta find Wilfric."

"We know," Maggie nodded, "And we're going to. We know who's caring for him, we know where he is, and we know how to get to Bauxbatons if that's where he is."

"Do you think he'll come back with you?" Harry asked, "Or stay with his adoptive family?"

"I don't know," I paused, "If his adoptive family is nice, he'll probably want to stay with them, won't he?"

"He might be filled with an intense curiosity about his biological family, though," Maggie paused, "I don't know what he'll do."

"What do you hope he'll do?" Harry furthered.

I looked at Maggie and she looked back at me, frowning, before turning to Harry, "I want to get to know him. I want to have my brother. But I want him to be happy more than anything else, and if Bauxbatons and his family make him happy, then he should stay with them."

"Sounds like an excellent plan," Harry grinned, "Good luck."

We nodded and I took Maggie's hand, the two of us wearing backpacks alone for luggage, and we rotated on the spot, ending up in British customs.

"My favorite place," Maggie stuck out her tongue as we handed our passports to the wizarding official, "Of all time."

"We'll be out of here soon enough, love," I laughed quietly as we apparated once again. We were now in the customs office of Madrid, Spain. I was glad that Maggie had taught me some Spanish since we had learned of her brother, and wasn't completely out of my league.

(AN: Every bit of dialogue in Spain was said in Spanish, however, as not everyone speaks Spanish I figured I'd write it in English.)

"Ok, they live near the center of the city, is what Dumbledore's portrait told me," Maggie sighed, looking at her map. We had agreed that the moment we got to the city we'd speak in Spanish to get into that mood, and I was trying my hardest to keep up.

"And?" I struggled slightly with my words, "Do we know where to go?"

Maggie nodded and took my hand, leading me through the hot, dusty and foreign streets. We walked for a while, and I was overwhelmed with the sights, sounds and smells of the place.

Finally, we came up to a small, modest little house. Maggie took a deep breath and knocked on the front door, and I held her hand tightly in support.

An elderly woman came out, looking at us moderately suspiciously. We definitely didn't look Spanish.

"Hello? Who are you?" she asked, surprisingly calmly.

"I'm Maggie Johnson-Longbottom, this is my husband, Neville Johnson-Longbottom," Maggie pointed in turn, "And… I'm here to… Uhm… You're Señora Vasquez, right?"

"Yes, I am. What do you want?" she demanded, "You're from…"

"Boston, and he's from Cardiff, well, then Leeds. And I've been living in Hogsmeade for a while so I have picked up that accent," Maggie explained.

"Right. You haven't answered my… Wait, Johnson?" Señora Vasquez paused, "As in…"

"I'm here for my half brother," Maggie sighed finally.

The pause that followed hung in the air like heavy fog. I gently massaged Maggie's shoulder, looking on at the situation in concern.

"He's out getting food from the market," Señora Vasquez finally answered.

"Not at Bauxbatons?" I asked in shock. There was an awkward pause when the elderly woman looked at me in slight irritation.

"My husband and I chose to… teach him magic ourselves, so that his name would not cause an uproar at the school. Even on the continent, Snape is a well-known surname," she took her time before explaining again.

"Right, right of course," Maggie rushed in, "Completely understandable."

There was a longer awkward silence. Maggie looked at Vasquez, Vasquez looked at Maggie, and I looked at my shoes.

"He's been happy here. He's fourteen, nearly fifteen now, and he's enjoyed his life with us," Vasquez murmured.

"I'm not trying to take him away," Maggie interjected, "I just feel like I have a right to know him."

"You do," she finally admitted after another long pause, "You do."

"Does he know? About his family?" Maggie whispered hoarsely.

"Yes," Vasqeuz paused, "As much as we could tell him from what Albus told us."

"What, exactly, does he know?" Maggie sighed.

"His father is Severus Snape, an English professor of Potions at Hogwarts. Or, he was," Vasquez sighed, "He's been dead for most of Wilfric's life and as Wilfric never knew him he didn't mourn him much. His mother is Melinda Johnson, an American international diplomat, who has another family with Nathanial Johnson, an apothecary. He has two half sisters, Margaret and Elena. He knows that his step father, of sorts, doesn't know of his existence and nor do his sisters. He knows he's one hundred percent English."

"Does he…" Maggie whispered.

"What?" Vasquez asked suspiciously.

"He doesn't know? About… about our mum?" Maggie murmured.

"What about Melinda?" Vasquez frowned.

Maggie sighed, and took a deep and shaky breath, "Our mum died. When I first came to Britain, almost a year before his father died. I… I thought you would know."

Vasquez stared at Maggie in shock, "No. No, I didn't know."

"Right. That'll be… fun…" Maggie sighed.

"He won't be very sad," Vasquez paused, "He didn't know his mother."

"He could still be sad," Maggie snapped in annoyance, "She still is his mum."

"I'm sorry, but I've been his mum for fourteen years and eight months of his life," Vasquez replied, "She was his mother for only one of them."

Maggie glared at Vasquez for a short time before whispering, "She was an amazing woman."

"Surely, to produce such an intelligent son," Vasquez replied.

"She deserves to be mourned," Maggie furthered, "Even if it's been more than ten years."

"I'm sure, I'm simply saying that he might not mourn her as much as you did," Vasquez replied.

I felt myself transport back. Back to a, somehow, simpler day. I remembered standing outside a locked door, an eternally locked door, and wondering why I was so distressed at the door not opening. How I wondered how my heart strained, my hope lost.

Yet, it was simpler.

"No," Maggie murmured, "No, he wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what?" a young voice asked behind us. Maggie and I turned around at once and looked to see a boy standing behind us. He was of medium height, but the kind of height that you could tell he was still growing. I knew that height rather well, as so many of my students were of that height. He had shaggy, dark hair and thick eyebrows, tanned skin, and bright green eyes.

Maggie opened her mouth to say something but then closed it like a fish. She looked at him with amazed eyes and seemed unable to move. Wilfric frowned back at her.

He looked like a miniature, young Snape, except that he had Melinda's eyes and tan skin due to the weather. I couldn't get past it much either.

"Mum, who are these two?" Wlifric asked, "I've never seen them before."

"They are…" Vasquez took a deep breath, her dark eyes flickering to me and Maggie, "Wiflric, this is your eldest sister Margaret, and your brother in law, Neville."

Wilfric's eyes widened as well and there was an awkward silence as he and Maggie stared at each other.

"I… It's nice to meet you, Wilfric," Maggie held out her hand. Wilfric stared at it for a moment before shaking it slightly.

"It's nice to meet you too, Margaret," Wilfric whispered.

"Maggie," Maggie answered, "I go by Maggie."

"Maggie, then," Wilfric smiled.

"I really am glad to finally find you I… I would have…" Maggie swallowed, and I could see tears forming in her eyes. She swallowed them back and continued, "I didn't know of your existence until a short while ago."

"Ah," Wilfric nodded, "Mel… Mum… couldn't talk of it?"

Maggie swallowed again, "I actually found out on accident. Mum is… Mum died, thirteen years ago."

Wilfric's eyes widened and he nodded, looking down at the ground, "So I'm an orphan, then?"

"Yes," Maggie sighed, "I'm so sorry. I am too, if that's a consolation."

Wilfric shrugged, before taking a deep breath and looking up at her again, "And, so, how'd you find out about me then?"

"Long story," Maggie paused, "But it involved a wizarding genealogy tree, a shock, and a lot of questions for a portrait."

Wilfric nodded again, "And you came right here?"

Maggie shook her head, "I was pregnant. I waited until I could leave the babies alone with new people long enough."

Wilfric asked, "Babies?"

"I was pregnant with sixtuplets. Bit of a long story," Maggie smiled, "I'm full of those."

"So I'm an uncle?" Wilfric looked amazed.

"You've been one for a while. I fell pregnant when I was young and you have a twin niece and nephew, who are twelve."

"Wow," Wilfric nodded, "We're really similar in age."

"Yeah," Maggie laughed breathlessly, "Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. Really, it's fine," Wilfric laughed, "How big of a family do I have?"

"Well, there's me and Neville, and your eight nieces and nephews- four of each. You have another sister, Elena, but she has no children nor a husband. And then you have some cousins- Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger, and their families."

"Wow," Wilfric whispered, "And you all live in England?"

"Yes," she smiled, "But… I know you love your parents here. I know you love your life here. I simply came so that we know each other. That is all."

Wilfric frowned, "Do you want to see Madrid? I can show you around."

"That would be great," Maggie smiled, "If your mum is OK with it."

"Sure I am," Vasquez sighed, "Go. Show them around."

Wilfric nodded and we began to walk through the overwhelming streets of the city.

"Mum and Dad raised me since I was a baby, as you know. Dad's at his job right now as a wand maker. Mum stays at home, usually teaching me magic but sometimes working to clean the house while I help her. I don't usually throw out my last name to people when I meet them- Wilfric is simply an odd Spanish first name, but Snape? Wilfric Snape? People'll notice," Wilfric chattered as we continued to walk around. I smiled at Maggie and she smiled back at me cautiously.

"Here's the market," Wilfric grinned back at us, "It's very traditional. I'm really good at haggling so mum usually sends me to do it."

"What else are you good at, Wilfric?" I asked cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm good at sneaking around to places I shouldn't be… never to do anything bad of course, but still, I'm good at that," Wilfric grinned, "And I'm good at lots of things in school, I'm good at thinking up solutions to problems, maths and science. And in Wizarding school I'm good with potions, charms, transfiguration- actually, things that let me try and figure it out as I go along. And I love to help my mum, dad, my friends in the market- the people I like."

"Alright then," I laughed, "What are you bad at?"

"Memorizing," Wilfric stuck out his tongue, "I want to be able to figure it out on my own, not remember it. And I'm not so good at herbology because of it, or most of herbology. And I am terrible at Quidditch. And lying isn't my favorite thing."

"That's ironic," I whispered under my breath.

"Mum says that all the time," Wilfric answered cheerfully, though I felt my face turn red at being heard, "I can't tell a lie to save my life but that's what saved my dad's. Lying. And I'm OK with that, he was a good man."

"He really was," Maggie smiled kindly at him, "I knew him, briefly."

We walked past a stall with a man sitting on a rug underneath a tent.

"Tell you your fortune?" he offered, "I can see into the future and…"

"I don't need to know my future," I laughed softly, "I'm pretty sure of it already."

"Ah, a wise man," the fortune teller laughed, "How wise would you say you are?"

"Don't pay attention to him, that's just crazy old Gomez," Wilfric rolled his eyes.

"I'd say I'm of average wisdom," I smiled slightly, "I just live an unusual life."

"Do you want to guess at a riddle?" the fortune teller offered, "I have many, you see. Many riddles for wise men."

"Oh, why not, I'll have a go," I grinned. Maggie grinned as well and Wilfric rolled his eyes.

"All his riddles are so overly complex, let's just go-" Wilfric groaned.

"No, no, I'll try it out," I laughed, "What is it?"

"A righteous man and an evil man are locked in a room together, sir," Gomez chuckled, "Only the righteous many can get them out and he refuses to let the evil man out on the world. But in that room, locked with him, are three other people: his brother, his wife, and his daughter, all whom he loves deeply. The evil man thus threatens each in turn and not necessarily in that order. Whose life finally spurs the righteous man into action?"

Maggie frowned in puzzlement and Wilfric rolled his eyes, but I couldn't help it. My answer was immediate.

"His daughter," I murmured.

Gomez laughed with a rather cruel air and Maggie looked at me in amazement.

"That was a rather quick answer," Maggie smiled slightly, "Dare I ask why?"

"Well, I was only thinking if it were me. Seamus, who is basically my brother, wouldn't want me to let this man out on the world. You wouldn't want that either, and you can take care of yourself, Lord knows I know that, not to mention if they kill you they kill me, and then he can never get out. But if they got Alice, or Nate, or Luna, or Kylie, or Jethro, or Severus, or Seamus, or Minerva… It wouldn't matter how evil he is, or what he's planning to do. I'd need to save them, save my children," I sighed, "There's no question."

Maggie nodded, "Well, I agree with you, wholeheartedly."

Wilfric frowned at me, "No one answers his riddles that quickly. He drives everyone mental."

"That's your riddle, wise man," Gomez grinned and turned back to the contents of his stall.

"Not going to press me for a fortune after that?" I laughed. Gomez looked up again and smiled toothily.

"What for, sir?" he laughed, "What for."

I frowned at him and we all walked away, back to the house.

We spent two more weeks in Madrid, with Maggie and Wilfric getting on like two peas in a pod. Wilfric was most definitely a mixture of Maggie (which I could presume was her mother) and Snape- the sheer intelligence, loyalty and sneakiness of Snape mixed with the lovingness, sense of right and wrong, and bravery of Maggie. I had never seen her get along so well with someone she had just met.

At the end of the two weeks, we knew we had to get back to Hogsmeade and the children. I had to get back to teaching.

"Maggie," Wilfric began the morning before we left. He was actually rather adept at English and had been speaking it with us as much as he could, "What if I came back with you? Tomorrow?"

Maggie dropped her fork and I looked at him in surprise.

"You'll have to ask your mum," Maggie said cautiously.

"I plan on it, at dinner," Wilfric answered.

Maggie looked over at me and I shrugged, turning back to my paper.

That evening, Elizabeta and Jorge (the Vasquezes) chatted mildly with us, as usual. Though they seemed to like us well enough, they never really got over their initial distrust like Wilfric had.

"Mum," Wilfric sighed.

"Yes, Wilf?" Elizabeta answered, "What is it?"

"I've… decided, on my own accord- meaning, Maggie has never even asked me of it- that I want to go back to England with them tomorrow," Wilfric finished.

Elizabeta dropped her spoon and Jorge looked up in amazement from his soup.

"What?" Elizabeta gasped.

"I want to," Wilfric murmured.

"But what… why?" Elizabeta asked.

"I'll come home, of course I will," Wilfric paused, "But I want to see what my family is like. What my home country is like. I want to meet everyone I've heard of and see everything I can. Isn't that alright?"

"Well I mean of course it is but…" Elizabeta took in a shaky breath, "You'll never come back, not for good."

"Course I will-"

"No, you won't. I know because I've been dreading it since we took you in all those years ago," Elizabeta smiled slightly, "You'll fall in love with your home country, and find purpose there, where you can go outside and be with people other than you're old adoptive parents."

"I promise to come home," Wilfirc sighed, "I love you."

"But not for good. Never for good," Elizabeta nodded, "Are you sure you aren't just rushing into this because of Maggie?"

"I've been thinking about this for a while, mum. Going to England. You know… one moment," Wilfric ran upstairs and came back with a small notebook.

"I've always kept a journal of things I think up, you know that," Wilfric paused, "Here it is. 'August 3rd, 2010. I've often thought about going to England to meet the people who knew my dad and see the places he's been, or going to America to find my living sisters, since I'm sure they're there. I just don't know how to ask mum.' And I say it quite often after that. I want to do this- not go to America, Elena and Maggie are here now and I'm not related to their American relatives- but go England, with Maggie. I want to, mum."

"And you'll go to Hogwarts, and fall in love with it, and…"

"So what if he does?" Jorge sighed, "Maybe he should go to Hogwarts. Meet some other kids for once, ones not off the streets."

Elizabeta looked at Jorge in shock.

"Please, mum. If I go to Hogwarts I'll be home for the holidays, I promise," Wilfric whispered.

"Alright, if you're going to go, you're going to go," Elizabeta sighed, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, mum," Wilfric sighed, "Of course I'll miss you. You _are_ my mum."

The rest of the dinner passed in silence.

The goodbye was tearful and long as Maggie and I stood back respectfully. I couldn't help but feel guilty as Wilfric turned back to us with lingering tears in his eyes. Maggie grabbed his hand and they turned on the spot, me turning next to them.

Elena and everyone got along with Wilfric well enough, though Elena less than the rest of them, perhaps because she couldn't see the blessing in having a little Snape with us. When Wilfric exhibited Snape's lesser qualities, such as being offhandedly mean when someone wasn't as clever as him, or sneering at those below him just for a second, Elena grumbled about it as if it couldn't be worse.

The second week he was in Hogsmeade, staying in our house, he went up to Hogwarts with me in fresh robes and not his usual shorts and t-shirt, which he still wore even in the March Scottish climate. Maggie was staying at home with Elena, taking care of the children as always.

"What house do you think I'll be put into, Neville?" Wilfric asked in accented English.

I paused, looking at the kid I had only known for a month. He was intelligent- extraordinarily so. But he was also very brave, like his sister, from the sheer fact of him coming to a new country and integrating so perfectly. Yet he always wrote home to his mum, every day, and was already intensely loyal to his sister. And, though he shared many traits with his father, his willingness to deceive to get what he wanted ended at outright lying, which he seemed to abhor.

"I dunno- we'll just have to wait and see," I laughed softly.

We entered into the Headmistress' office and he sat down on a chair. I brought the Sorting Hat and placed it on his head, explaining quickly that he needed to be sorted. As I expected, the hat took its time, the both of us sitting there calmly.

Finally, the hat opened its brim and shouted out proudly, "RAVENCLAW!"

"No need to shout, it's only us here," I laughed again, taking the hat off and hanging it up. Wilfric grinned at me.

"Does this mean I'm smart? Not really surprised but I mean-"

"Everyone in your house is smart, so don't get cocky. I can't say you are smarter than everyone or that some people are smarter than you, but it's best to not go about tooting your own horn," I warned, smiling slightly in spite of my words.

"Of course, of course," he nodded, "So who's my head of house? Where will I live, what-"

"You're in the fourth year and your head is Professor Flitwick. We'll go find him," I laughed, and the two of us left the office, him skipping along next to me.

Wilfric integrated into Hogwarts well enough as well. Though whispers did follow his name, most accepted him, and very few people knew of who his mother was. All they knew was that it had been the two of us who had fetched him.

A few more months passed and it turned into the balmy months of spring. I was sitting in my room at home, reading a newspaper, as Elena put each of the sixtuplets to bed. I literally felt like I was going to keel over and collapsed, but I hated going to bed before Maggie got home from work.

The door opened and I looked up to see Maggie walk in, somewhat white faced, and immediately sat on the arm of my chair. I reached up and gently massaged her lower back and looked at her in concern.

"Well," she took a deep breath and looked down at me, her shoulder shrugging, "I've good news and bad news."

"Give me the bad first, I suppose," I looked up at her and frowned.

"There have been dragon sightings at the Island of Mull," Maggie took another deep breath, "And they usually aren't found there."

"Oh God," I whispered. Maggie nodded and continued to breathe deeply.

"It's not confirmed yet but it's truly unfortunate. The sightings were not necessarily with humans but it was hard to tell," Maggie took in a shaky breath, "I'm hoping it means nothing but it could mean everything."

"Well then," I sighed, "What is the good news?"

"We're getting five refugees next month," Maggie smiled slightly, "They couldn't give me their names but I know them all, and the agency dares to say I'm friends with them as well."

"Wow! That's brilliant!" I laughed, "Do you hope that it's-"

"I hope for nothing," Maggie paused, "But it will be brilliant. We're to put them up until they can find a new life here."

"I'm ecstatic," I grinned, "It gives us hope, doesn't it?"

"Hopefully," Maggie joked, gently leaning down to kiss my lips.

AN: Yay Spring Break! This has been fun to write while I've had time off. Things are going to pick up extremely in the next chapter. In the immortal words of Hagrid, "A storm's brewin' 'Arry."

In other news, I'm going to finish this story in the summer definitely, and start some other pieces on Harry Potter, like I've described before. I also have some Doctor Who stories I'm working on and an original novel. Finally, I've gotten obsessed with two new TV shows: Game of Thrones and Downtown Abbey. I deeply recommend both, but the former not to my younger audience (lots of blood and sexy time.)

Please review! Shout outs go to Ohmyfickleheart, TA-twinArmageddons, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, and mcgonagiggles. I would deeply appreciate four reviews before I post the next chapter. Reviews are what keep me going. Love you guys! Happy St. Patties day, eh? Haha I have no Irish blood but I go to an Irish school. So much fun xD


	46. Ch 9 Realization

Ch. 9: Realization

_Can you hear it rise  
Up from the ground  
Can't drown it out  
Can you hear it now? _

_This is the sound of a heartbeat  
This is the sound from the discontented mouths  
of a haunted nation  
We are the voice of breaking down  
~The Sound by Switchfoot_

June came, the babies growing and learning from everyone around them. Maggie was well enough to fly around with Thailus now and to do strenuous exercise, preparing as always for the war. The sixtuplets were growing up fine, though Seamus still wasn't babbling like the others.

Plans were set in motion for the arrival of the refugees. Maggie and I were going to go, along with Elena, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

Seamus was in the house helping me take care of my children, Luna wailing at the top of her lungs.

"So what day do they come in?" Seamus asked as Maggie rushed in to feed Luna.

"Two days' time," Maggie said in a rush, "Still no idea who they are but its three boys and two girls. And it's six now, one of the girls just had a baby."

"With one of the boys?" Seamus furthered.

"Seems so. I wish I knew more details," Maggie rolled her eyes, "But we'll see about it all soon enough."

"Will you come, Seamus? In case it's Kylie?" I asked curiously.

"No," Seamus answered softly.

"Why ever not, if Kylie could be there?" I continued, looking at him in confusion.

"Because what if she's not?" Seamus slammed down a bottle of baby formula and looked at us in annoyance, "Do you realize what that would mean?"

"What are you talking about Seamus?" Maggie murmured kindly.

"They are sending refugees to your house because you knew them, of course," Seamus sighed, "They are probably sending you the people you care about most because you'll be able to care for them the best and because you'll want to know they're alive. Who would they send to you first but your old roommate and best friend? And if she's not sent, that probably means…" Seamus took a deep breath, "That probably means she isn't alive to be sent."

Maggie looked at him sadly, "You're probably right. But wouldn't you want to find out on your own?"

"No," Seamus sighed, turning to the doorframe and halfway out of it, "I don't think I would."

Maggie turned to me and sighed softly. I patted her shoulder and we continued on.

The day of the arrival came. The customs office was surprisingly empty. Alice and Nate came along, though the sixlets were being babysat by Seamus and some others. Alice had dyed the end of her very long braid red, much to her mother's annoyance. I found it hilarious. There was also a streak of aqua blue, the same color as Teddy's preferred hair color, in her bangs.

I was amazed at how the twins were becoming mini adults. Alice had shot up again and was almost her mother's height, and was filling out into curves again similar to her mother's. She had grown her braid down to the middle of her back, and except for the dyed portions it was chocolate brown. She had bangs that went down to her eyes. She hardly ever dressed in girly clothes and today was no exception, she was dressed in jeans, trainers and a graphic t-shirt. Nate was also taller, but he hadn't hit a growth spurt yet. His hair was shaggy and all around his face, much in the style of Teddy, but his hair remained brown. His voice was in the midst of changing, but I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before the squeaks were no longer the norm. He had been getting growing pains and I knew he was going to shoot up like a tree.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were all sitting together, laughing and talking. Elena was standing against the wall, frowning at the clock. She was improving greatly, though still scarred. She often now, for example, allowed her hair to not obscure her face. But she still wasn't completely better, and often found herself subject to deeply depressed episodes.

I turned to the doorway as voices were starting to sound from behind it. Maggie looked nervous, and I reached to take her hand in mine. Everyone stood to attention, Alice now biting her lip and Nate tapping his foot.

The first person to come out looks exotic and beautiful. I had never seen her before and I was surprised. Maggie, however, had immediate recognition.

"Kita!" she laughed, "It's you!"

"Hey Maggie!" she smiled, running towards her and hugging her, "I'm glad you made it home."

"Me too. I'm glad you made it out- which means… you haven't had kids yet…" Maggie inferred hesitantly.

"Ezra's right behind me," Kita grinned, "Though I don't know who else is coming. We're all coming from different places."

"Well, it's exciting," Maggie laughed, "I'm so glad you're both OK."

"Plenty of time for all five of us to catch up later," Kita smiled.

"I'm surprised though- you two don't have a kid yet?" Maggie asked. Kita shook her head, frowning.

"We just got married recently, we didn't want to risk kids in the war. Why?" Kita furthered.

"Well, the refugee office said there was an extra, a kid," Maggie sighed, "But I guess it's from two of the others."

"That's curious," Kita frowned, "Ah well."

In that moment, Ezra came out. I recognized him and he grinned at us all.

"Maggie! Man, you look better. I'm glad you've come home," Ezra laughed, hugging Maggie and standing by Kita's side. Maggie laughed in return, grinning from ear to ear.

"Me too. I'm glad you're safe now. This is exciting," Maggie bounced on her toes and Alice and Nate laughed.

"So these are your kids? After you left Kylie explained about them to us all," Kita explained. Maggie nodded.

"Nate, Alice, this is Kita and Ezra. I worked with Ezra, and Kita is his mate," Maggie introduced, "Oh, and this is Neville, Kita."

"I figured," Kita laughed, "Nice to meet you."

I nodded in response and smiled, "I'm glad you made it out."

"We all are," Ezra sighed, "It's going to be an evening of much discussion. Do we know who's next?"

"No idea," Maggie rolled her eyes.

"You've gotten a full on British accent instead of a half one, you know," Ezra grinned. Maggie grinned back.

"Good." In that moment, another person came out- Richard.

"Richard!" Maggie gasped, her eyes wide, "You made it out?"

"Course I did," Richard rolled his eyes, "Do you honestly thing the Unionists could take _me?_ Come on now. Realism."

"Right," Maggie sighed, "Do you know who else is coming?"

Richard grinned, "Well, I know one other person. So the last person is still a mystery."

"Who is it?" Maggie demanded.

"Spit it out, Richard," Ezra rolled his eyes.

"It's a surprise," Richard grinned. In the next moment, the door opened, and a girl with flaming red hair came out, holding a bundle in her arms.

"Kylie!" Maggie gasped happily, running all the way across the room to hug her, despite the baby. Kylie laughed gleefully and they walked back to where everyone was standing.

"You got _pregnant_?" Maggie continued, amazed, "But…"

"Funny story," Richard paused, "Kylie and I were mated the whole time."

"What?" Maggie, Ezra, Kita, and I gasped at once.

"Yeap, but we'll get to that when everyone's here," Kylie smiled, "Meet Margaret Leslie, Maggie."

Maggie suddenly looked like she was going to burst into tears, "You named her for me?"

"Course we did," Kylie smiled warmly, "She goes by Peggy, though. Or, we're trying to instill that."

"Good enough for me," Maggie started to sob then, holding the baby in her arms, "Thank you"

"Of course. So who are we missing?" Kylie frowned, "Isn't there a fifth?"

"No one has any idea who it is," Ezra sighed.

"Can't be Les… she died," Kylie murmured sadly, "In the last battle."

Maggie looked unfathomably sad and I patted her shoulder calmly. Richard frowned, however, in response.

"Who is it then? Everyone who survived is here," Richard groaned.

"By the way, Alice, Nate, you've grown a _lot_," Kylie laughed weakly. Alice smiled in response and Nate also started to grin.

"But you're right, there are no other survivors from the group," Maggie sighed.

"Wrote me off that easily, sweetheart?" a voice I had never heard before asked.

Maggie, Nate and Alice gasped in shock and looked up. A man stood in the doorway, with shaggy black hair, a billion scars, and of all things a bow in his hand and a quiver of arrows on his back. He also had a rucksack, but other than that carried nothing with him. He grinned through his hair and stood there, not moving.

Maggie couldn't get out any words, and everyone else looked equally shocked. Finally, Elena spoke.

"_Jethro_," she spat angrily. I felt my own eyes widen and my four fellow Englishmen gasped similarly.

"But…" Maggie whispered hoarsely.

"It's a very long story, and I'm sure that I'll have time to explain later," Jethro rolled his eyes.

In that moment, Nate ran forward and threw his arms around him. Jethro hugged back, smiling widely, something I had a feeling he wasn't usually inclined to do.

"You're alive," Nate mumbled, more timid than I had heard him speak in a long time.

"Stranger things have happened," Jethro joked. Maggie was still speechless.

"I _knew _it," Alice suddenly laughed, "I _knew_ you weren't dead!"

"How did you know that?" Nate replied peevishly.

"Because your toad never turned back into a stuffed animal. If Jethro had died, the magic would have worn off," Alice replied logically.

It stuck me that I should have found that weird. Nate's eyes widened and Maggie simply looked even more shocked.

"Not going to say anything dear?" Jethro asked, suddenly not smiling anymore. I looked over at Maggie, wishing her to say something. I was worried about what the shock was doing to her. But Jethro's words drove her out of it.

She walked forward- didn't run, didn't make sudden movements. I knew her, and I knew she thought that if she acted too rashly he'd disappear. I was so shocked, still, that it struck me I should have gotten irritated that he kept calling her such things as dear, sweetheart, and such. But I knew that this wasn't nearly important right now.

She finally reached him and threw her arms around his neck and started to sob. I tried to quell the jealousy in my heart, but I could feel through our link the amazing joy that she was feeling. I could feel the intense wave of happiness and confusion, and it overpowered my own extensive jealousy. But then I felt something through her that I usually only felt when she was dwelling on me. It was a ghost compared to that, only slight, but it was there.

Love.

I swallowed thickly and now had to actively work to fight down not only jealousy, but anger and betrayal. I knew Maggie would be able to tell what I was feeling and I didn't want to ruin this for her. But… I did want to ruin this for her. A part of me did. A part of me wanted to do what the Unionists failed to do and stab this man in the heart. But I fought it, because Maggie was so joyful I couldn't help it. I couldn't make her unhappy.

The hug lasted far too long for my liking and when Maggie pulled back she was sobbing very, very hard.

"What… I'm so confused… Jethro…" Maggie whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I'll explain everything when we get out of this place," Jethro answered, "We should go, we're holding it up."

"I don't want him to share my house," Elena spat. Jethro looked at her, his expression suddenly very sad.

"I'll find a hotel then," he answered quietly.

"No," Maggie spat, suddenly angry. She looked at her sister in annoyance, "He's changed, Elena. I'm sorry about this, truly, I am, but he has to stay in the house. If you want to stay with me and Neville…"

"I do," Elena replied, "I'll need some time to get used to this, Maggie."

"I understand," she nodded.

"Well, it's nice to meet all of you," Jethro nodded to the Brits, including me, "Especially you, Neville. I'm glad you and Maggie reunited."

I smiled weakly, "Thanks."

"No, I mean it. You might not believe me, but… the only thing I wanted to see was Maggie happy, for all those years. And I'm glad she is," Jethro reached out his hand for me to shake, and I took it. He seemed very sincere, and I couldn't help but let some of my anger ebb away. It wasn't Jethro's fault for falling in love with Maggie- I understood completely.

I was just mad Maggie hadn't told me she had fallen in love, in return.

"I hope we can be like brothers," Jethro paused, "But let's get out of here before the officials get pissed.

"Alright. Let's… let's go," Maggie murmured. She walked up to me and took my hand. I found a small amount of comfort in this, but I was still unable to squeeze her hand or do anything else in terms of reaction. I was so confused I couldn't bear it. Wasn't she only supposed to be able to love me?"

We reached the Hog's head and all sat down, looking at each other in amazement.

"So, who's going to go first?" Ezra laughed weakly.

"Maggie has probably had the most normal life. She can get it over with," Kylie smiled kindly.

"You'd be surprised," Maggie answered, "But OK."

She went through everything- the reunion of us, the marriage, the prophecy and the lineage discovery, the sixtuplets, and the trial. At the end, everyone looked amazingly shocked.

"I told you the prophecy was about you," Kylie offhandedly remarked. Maggie rolled her eyes at her.

"Oh shut it. But I guess the foe is Jethro," Maggie whispered. Jethro nodded, looking like he expected this conclusion.

"I'm really not surprised. Ah well. That's fun. You, me, Neville, and Harry," Jethro rolled his eyes, "I wonder why that is?"

"I guess we'll find out," Maggie muttered. She had recognized that I wasn't squeezing her hand at this point, I was sure of it. But I couldn't help it. The shock had taken away from me my sensibilities.

"Shall we go?" Ezra offered. Maggie nodded.

"Well, our story takes into account Kylie and Richard's up to a point," Ezra paused, "But anyway. After you left, the war wasn't too bad for a while. We managed to contain it for the most point. But at a point people started to get sick of the war. Protests went on in the streets to end it, but we couldn't. So the Unionists gained the anti-war support, since they figured we started it," Ezra sighed, "Close to the full takeover of the country, Kyie got a pass into South Africa for her work with magical marine biology, so we went there. We just got married recently… but that's about it. We managed to get out legally and before the US wasn't the US anymore."

"We had to stay, and at that point we were the only ones left," Kylie continued, "Me and Richard. Well, eventually conflict came up with that. But after a harrowing battle we… well, we had sex again. And it turns out…"

"We were mated the whole time," Richard explained softly, "We just didn't realize it. It's strange… I was in love with her, but it didn't consume me, and she thought she had gotten over me…"

"But I never did," Kylie finished, "Richard slept with all sorts of girls, even falling for some, but he never stayed with them because he still loved me."

"It was always dwelling in the back of my head," Richard sighed, "What would Kylie think of this? But I didn't let it consume me until I realized we didn't have much time left. Either of us could die at any moment."

"So it turns out the rules of mating aren't exactly what we thought they were," Kylie sighed, "Guess you can fall in love again and not even realize you're mated, sometimes. But you still _know_. It's just in the back of your head, waiting for you to realize it yourself."

I tried to not let this news overpower me. I was amazed, and I realized that this was true not only for them. Maggie had fallen in love with Jethro.

"After the fall of the US, we ran," Richard sighed, "We had both managed to survive the battle but we knew the Unionists weren't going to let us live. We reached Canada and fled from there, going to India, but illegally. Finally, the remaining UDRA members positioned around the world got in touch with us, when the Indian government arrested Kylie after she gave birth to Margaret."

"She was an accident, but a good one," Kylie smiled slightly, "But when I went to the hospital to give birth they found us out as illegal immigrants. The Wizarding government there bailed us out, when we took our dragons out of hiding, but they still kept us in their own custody. But the international United Dragon Riders Refugee Group, basically the UDRA in exile, helped us out of their custody and, essentially, into yours."

"Wow," Maggie whispered, "That's… amazing."

"I'm just glad we finally got here," Richard sighed, "India wasn't my favorite place."

Kylie hit him in the arm and he groaned angrily as she snapped, "_And_ we're happy to see Maggie."

"Yes," Richard grumbled, but he flashed a small grin at her anyway. Maggie beamed.

"I'm glad you guys are safe. Seamus will be relieved… he figured that if you, Kylie, weren't here today you weren't alive."

"He would have had a point," Kylie sighed, "But I'm here. And our dragons have been located into the Scottish highlands."

"Thailus will find them soon enough, along with Emralda," Maggie continued to beam happily. There was a small pause, in which we all waited for the story we really wanted to hear.

"Alright then," Jethro sighed, "Shall I?"

"I beg that you do," Maggie sighed. Elena got up from the table then, making sure to throw an irritated glance at Jethro, before leaving to our house.

"Well then," Jethro sighed, "When I got taken, they immediately brought me to Unionist headquarters, and kept me prisoner. They tortured me for a very, very long time, trying to get me to spill your secrets, Maggie. But I didn't talk. It wasn't just the secret keeper thing… even when I could tell that the secret had been broken, that it no longer had a keeper, I didn't tell. I wouldn't have dared," Jethro let out another sigh, "Eventually they found out about Alice and Nate, though, from what they told me. Actually, from what they screamed at me as they cast the cruciatus curse."

Maggie grimaced and frowned apologetically.

"Eventually, they realized that I wasn't going to talk no matter what. They had kept up the rumor that I was dead, instructing no one to let on that I was alive, however, I know from some accounts that they didn't outright say I was dead, either," Jethro sighed.

"Tom…" Maggie paused, looking confused, "Tom said he was responsible for…"

"Did he outright say he killed me?" Jethro smiled almost patronizingly.

Maggie paused for a longer time, before murmuring, "No, he didn't."

"Exactly, sweetheart," I felt jealousy rise up again, "Anywho. After a point, they decided they didn't need me anymore. I knew they were going to kill me when they brought me to a new cell and stripped me of my magic…"

_"What?"_ Maggie snapped, looking horrified.

"Well, they took away my wand, and drained me off my remaining magical powers, so that I couldn't break out," Jethro sighed, "Now that they weren't torturing me twenty four seven. My previous spells wouldn't have died, so I was still bonded to Oscuro and Luna the toad would still live (until I died,) but I can no longer do magic. And no, before you ask, it can't be reversed."

Maggie put her hand to her mouth and tears sprung to her eyes.

"Don't cry," Jethro murmured kindly, "I've gotten used to being a muggle. At any rate, I knew I had to get out. It was strange. The torture hadn't driven me insane, exactly. It actually gave my mind a one track focus- staying alive was the only thing I dwelled on at that point. This sheer concentration allowed me the skills I needed to get out. I tricked the guard, making him believe I was going to commit suicide by _trying_ to use magic when the effort would kill me, and lured him into the cage. I killed him with my bare hands," Jethro shook his head, "And I'm not proud of it. But I ran. I didn't stop running, either, until I had left the dungeons, left the complex in the dead of night, and got into the woods. I kept running, exhausted and dying. Oscuro had managed to escape as well, mainly through his own dragon prowess, and found me collapsed in the forest. He flew me up to the northernmost reaches of Canada where he nursed me back to health. It was then I realized I needed a new way to defend myself, since magic was out of the question."

"I assume that's what the bow and arrows are for?" Maggie asked breathlessly. Jethro nodded.

"I went to an old friend of mine from when I was wondering the continent looking for work in my youth, who actually makes them and shoots them for recreation. He gave me a bow that was sturdy and would last, however, and a full quiver. I practiced for a very long time in that sanctuary, though I knew it wasn't fair to him to stay and left as soon as I was good enough to defend myself. And I've been practicing ever since, and have gotten quite good, thanks," Jethro grinned. Maggie rolled her eyes.

"I'll need to see proof, but go on," she grinned slightly.

"Anywho, I eventually managed to leave the continent. I knew I couldn't stay there, not when the USA was completely taken over. Canada would be next, I know Elisha too well. So I fled, and reached Argentina. I can speak Spanish, so I was well off. However, they eventually purged the country- literally, it was a genocide- of all dragon riders, fearful of the Unionists. So I fled there, too, and reached Brazil. I knew Brazil wouldn't like my presence, so I mainly stayed in the rainforest, hunting to survive," Jethro took a deep breath.

"But Jethro, you're a vegetarian," Maggie whispered.

"Desperate times," Jethro paused, "I can't lie… I enjoyed meat. I'm hoping to return to vegetarianism, though, now that I'll be well fed again. Anywho, eventually the Brazilian government caught my non-native dragon, and we had to flee again. I was supposed to be dead, and while Brazil might have offered me sanctuary, I didn't want the Unionsits to get wind of my location. So we left. We repeated the process of hunting on the run in Australia, Thailand, and Iran. Eventually we got to Germany, and that was when I ran into a UDRA man, refugee finder, whatever. He recognized me instantly when I dared to venture into Berlin for some vegetable type food, trading meat for it. He offered to bring me to Britain, since he knew how close we," he pointed between him and Maggie, "Were. I took him up on it. I didn't want to run anymore. It took a few months, but finally we got here."

"Wow," Maggie whispered.

"Needless to say, I'm exhausted," Jethro sighed.

"I'll bet," Kylie replied kindly.

"Well, we'll have to start training soon," Harry paused, "If it's us four who are supposed to end it all."

"You're absolutely right," Maggie nodded. I sighed in my head, knowing that I would _really_ have to work hard to get along with Jethro and Maggie (not separate, but together, it was hard.)

"Want to see what I can do before we disband?" Jethro grinned, "I have a funny we'll all bring unique skills to this fight."

"Alright then," Maggie laughed. Jethro got up, pulled out his bow and put an arrow at the ready.

"Nate, be a hero and throw an apple in the air. I don't really care where," Jethro laughed. Nate threw an apple up, hard, and in a moment Jethro shot the arrow through it and pinned it to the wall. It hadn't been an obvious target and Richard actually started to clap.

"Shall I do another?" Jethro offered. Everyone shouted yes, even myself, and Nate obligingly threw objects into weird places that Jethro skewered easily. He even shot , through Harry's arm, the nose of the stuffed Hog's head behind him. Harry looked shell shocked at being so close to an arrow, but Nate whooped excitedly.

Soon it got late, however. I didn't want to talk to Maggie yet, I wasn't emotionally ready for it, but as she said goodbye to her friends and hugged them I turned to Harry.

"You know what we have to do, don't you?" I asked him quietly. He looked at me and frowned.

"I think so, but… Confirmation is beautiful," Harry whispered.

I looked at Maggie, making sure she wasn't listening. She was busy cooing at Peggy.

"We've got to bond with dragons."

AN: Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheee. Who saw it coming? Answer honestly. Heeheehee. I've been waiting for this chapter since Jethro "died." This is so exciting. Let me know what you think with a magical review! Yes! A review! Heehee. Thanks to mcgonagiggles, Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan, and TA-twinarmageddons for reviewing. Please review for this chapter! I literally can't wait to know peoples' reactions.

On a side note, I've started a Hunger Games story and I may or may not work on another one simultaneously. If you're a fan (And very few aren't these days,) go check it out and review! Thanks guys, you're the best.


	47. Ch 10: Doubt

Ch. 10: Doubt

_Why'd you have to go and let it die?  
A simple man and his blushing bride  
Intravenous, intertwined  
Hearts gone cold your hands were tied  
Why'd you have to go and let it die?_

~ Let it Die by the Foo Fighters

The next day, while Maggie and Wilfric went out for a coffee to bond and Kylie and Seamus watched the sixtuplets together to do much of a similar activity, I went out to the mountains to meet with Emralda. I knew there was no other dragon I'd rather bond with, Emralda and I already had a connection. There was simply no question.

I walked into the mountains, wandering amongst the caves. There were dragons everywhere here, from "wild" ones to not-so-wild ones, though I knew they were all wild… it made more sense in my head.

My mind was in a one-track focus as I climbed into the cave I knew contained Thailus, Emralda and their family. I prayed that Thailus wasn't there so I could just talk to Emralda and not worry about Maggie finding out just yet. Not that I really cared about her finding out anymore.

"Emralda?" I called out to the cave. A million little baby dragons- well, twenty five to be precise, as they had a healthy litter this spring- came chirping out to greet me. The older ones followed close behind, some still very young. Finally, Emralda made her appearance amongst her green and blue younglings, smiling slightly at me.

"Hello, Neville. Thailus isn't in, but to what do I owe the pleasure?" Emralda chuckled softly.

"I think you know," I sighed, breathing deeply.

"I… I don't know what to say. There are multiple things. I know you confide in me, so, there are-"

"We need to bond, and you know it," I finally shot out. I couldn't talk about Maggie and Jethro with her, which I felt she wanted to do.

She looked at me for a while with those bright green eyes of hers. She wasn't as big as Thailus but still huge for a dragon, and her looming over me like she was with her long neck and crocodilian head was moderately disconcerting when all I wanted to do was seem important and adult-like.

"I understand why you want to, why you think we need to. But there's no need to be hasty about it. There needs to be-"

"There's _every_ reason to be hasty!" I shouted, "War is creeping on our doorstep. My children are in grave danger. Your children are in grave danger. _Everyone_ is in grave danger and I'm one of four people meant to stop it- but I- I'm at a disadvantage. I'm not a rider. I don't have those powers, that skill that riders have and I _need _it to be able to help. I don't have that connection, that ability, that knowledge. And I wouldn't bond with anyone but you and you _know_ it. It's not just because you're my wife's dragon's mate. It's because we _get_ each other, we talk about anything, and we are very similar to boot. We're both calm, loyal, loving, the voice of reason. You _can't_ say the thought hasn't crossed your mind."

"Of course it has," Emralda sighed, "I've suggested it to Thailus but he'll have none of it, of course."

"Same with Maggie, but I think it's _our_ decision and _our_ call whether or not it's the right move-"

"But we _have_ to consult them, they're our _mates_. You know it and I know it. This isn't just _our decision_," Emralda insisted, "I wish it was but it can't be, not with that type of bond."

"We don't have time to argue about it!" I shouted, "The enemy could be here, any second. We need to be _bonded_ and _used to it_ to be the best help we can be in combat. Can you argue with that? That getting used to it will take time?"

"No," Emralda sighed.

"How bad is it? Can we still mate even though we're older? Come on Emralda," I sighed, "You _know_ we have to do this."

"It's not a long process, we'll be done long before any Unionists reach the UK… and I think we can still mate at this age, but the bond probably won't be as strong as that of Thailus and Maggie's," Emralda replied cautiously.

"We have to take what we can get, come _on_ Emralda," I begged.

There was another long pause as we stared at each other. The babies below us chirped and flapped around us. One of them jumped onto my shoulder and I gently stroked his spiked, sea green back. Emralda watched us with calculating eyes.

"Fine," she whispered. I looked at her and my face burst into a grin without my control.

"Awesome- what do we have to do?" I asked.

"First, we need to brew a potion. It's a simple one, Maggie as an eight year old with no training did it. We need a vial of my blood, an equal amount of your blood, and…" Emralda detailed the process for me. She flew me out to Hogsmeade, leaving the hatchlings in the care of the oldest siblings present. We landed and I bought the necessary ingredients, mixing them in my old cauldron that I found in the house. Maggie was still out and for that I was grateful. I mixed the potion and let it sit overnight in my office, letting on nothing to Maggie as Emralda flew home for the night.

I came back to the cave the next day and found it empty of all but Emralda.

"I sent the kids out with Thailus. He doesn't know why, but I told him I just needed a day to myself. Now," Emralda sighed, "You have the potion?"

"Yep," I held out the swirling greenish-brown mix. Emralda nodded.

"We also need to drink each other's blood afterwards, at least a cupful. It's not a pretty process, I hope you have a strong stomach," Emralda sighed.

"I can handle it," I affirmed.

"Then, immediately after drinking the potion and then the blood, we need to press our heads together- no, I'm not kidding- and we need to recite the words 'Mens ut Mens , Pectus pectoris ut Pectus pectoris , nos vadum nunquam exsisto seorsum , nos es unus , nos es idem eadem idem , quod iam nos vadum nunquam exsisto singulus iterum', can you do that?" Emralda asked.

"Yes," I responded, "Mens ut Mens , Pectus pectoris ut Pectus pectoris , nos vadum nunquam exsisto seorsum , nos es unus , nos es idem eadem idem , quod iam nos vadum nunquam exsisto singulus iterum, right?"

"Good job," Emralda nodded, "Most don't pick up on it that fast."

"To be honest with you, I asked Kylie last night, saying I was just curious, and I memorized it," I beamed a little.

"Well, whatever works. Are you ready? Afterwards we immediately need to go on our first flight to seal the deal, as it were," Emralda finished.

"Of course. Let's do this." We both extracted a cup's worth of our own blood, me by draining with magic from my arm and her simply biting her leg a little. She, however, felt fine afterwards, and I felt woozy. I then handed her two cup's worth of the potion and gave myself an equal potion. We downed the potion in unison, her somewhat awkwardly with her lack of hands. I handed her my blood and she handed me hers, and we downed those as well.

"Mens ut Mens , Pectus pectoris ut Pectus pectoris , nos vadum nunquam exsisto seorsum , nos es unus , nos es idem eadem idem , quod iam nos vadum nunquam exsisto singulus iterum," we both shouted at each other immediately after drinking the blood, me fighting to keep down the salty, iron, rusty taste. I then jumped on her back and she ran forward out of the cave, leaping into the air and turning about. She flew over the mountains and I held on, at first for dear life but then increasingly looser until finally I was only holding on by squeezing my thighs. I began to feel every extension of her- the flap of her wings, the turning of her tail and her torso, the movement of her neck and head, the dangling of her legs. And in turn, I could hear her thoughts. She felt so _free_ in the air and I soon felt it by extension. I could hear her worries for her children, for Thailus, for Maggie, for me. I could hear her joy at her family being together, I could hear her memories and her instantaneous blurbs such as _that mountain was much too close_ or _what is with these clouds today_.

She was also becoming increasingly aware of me, which I could feel through the link. She knew my initial terror, my getting used to it, my increased awareness of her. And, through this increasing connection, I felt us bond even more. It was a sequence of positive feedback- as we became more aware of each other, we became even more aware of each other.

Finally, she landed back in the cave. I slid off her back with ease, grinning at her. She grinned back and turned to look into the cave.

"What's that?" she asked aloud. We still hadn't gotten used to communicating in our thoughts yet and she resorted to talking in the meantime. I looked and saw something gleaming in the back of the cave. I walked towards it, tilting my head slightly with curiosity, like a dragon would do. I finally picked it up. It was a long sword, a sword I was familiar with. There were rubies embedded in the handle and the blade read _Godric Gryffindor_.

This was no accident. I turned to Emralda and looked at her knowingly. She nodded.

I was meant to have this sword.

We went out into the woods together and she helped me create, using a combination of her magic, hand magic, and wand magic, a sheath for the sword. The knowledge she brought to the task seemed intuitive, and she figured (now communicating with me mentally) that she had just heard someone talking about it somewhere, though she had no idea where. I belted the sheath through my trousers and stuck the sword inside it, hoping on Emralda's back. I was to meet with Maggie, Harry and (sigh) Jethro to discuss tactics at dinner this evening.

Emralda dropped me off outside the Hog's Head and I patted her snout as she left, flying back to the cave. She promised to not tell Thailus before I told Maggie, knowing that he would be slightly less… mad… at the news.

I entered the bar and sat down next to Harry, who smiled at me. Jethro entered with his quiver of arrows and bow strung across his shoulder. I guess he didn't feel safe not having it, or something. Maggie entered last, running over to me and giving me a kiss on the cheek. She looked moderately flustered. I continued to block my thoughts from her, like I had been since Jethro came to the UK. I didn't want to have her know the extent of my…

_You'll have to talk to her someday, Neville_, Emralda thought.

_I don't want to have this fight. It tears at my insides to even… we'll talk about this later,_ I replied.

"Well, good to have you here, Jethro," I nodded, trying to be cordial.

"I have some news," Harry greeted cheerfully, "Well, two bits of news, to be honest."

"Oh?" Maggie replied, beaming.

"Well, Draco Malfoy approached me today," Harry paused, "He's on our side, he's joined the army. Many other people have as well, and many more are bonding with dragons."

"You're kidding," I responded, shocked.

"Nope. Turns out the old divisions no longer apply. Oh, I'm not talking about the people in Azkaban- they all apparently don't give a damn, according to Goyle, when I went by looking for soldiers in return for freedom. But the people who didn't get imprisoned are willing to fight. Malfoy said, and I quote, 'I don't want to live in a world where I have to worry my son will be taken, forced to bond with some dragon, and killed through a ceremony that could never work.' So the Malfoys have joined us, and I'm not going to argue with that. So have many others who we once considered enemies. So that's one good thing, we have a large force on our side," Harry beamed.

"Fantastic work, cuz," Maggie grinned back in response.

"My other bit of news- well- I found a dragon, and we've bonded," Harry sighed.

I looked at him in shock. He stole my thunder! Well, not that I hadn't encouraged it. And I supposed it was better for him to receive Maggie's wrath than-

"Really! Great! I was going to tell you to anyway," Maggie beamed, "With who?"

I calmed the fury that bubbled in my stomach and throat and blocked Maggie completely, something I had better control over now that I had bonded with Emralda. Why in hell couldn't_ I_ bond but _Harry_ could? God dammit, I was _almost_ the chosen one. I _lead_ Dumbledore's Army. I _killed_ Nagini, I was _given_ the sword of Gryffindor and I was just as strong as Harry freaking Potter.

"Norberta- Hagrid's dragon," Harry laughed, "I got the idea a few days ago and I approached Charlie about it. I actually went down to Romania two days ago, Noberta finally opened up her intelligence to me, and we bonded. Though, I got to keep my eye color- instead I have bronze streaks in my hair, can you tell?" Harry pointed to his hair. Maggie and Jethro looked at it, as did I, and laughed appreciatively.

_Oh crap, my eyes. How has Maggie not noticed yet?_ I thought in a panic. _I_ hadn't even looked at my eyes yet.

_It's because you've been averting your eyes from her. You've been so mad- _Emralda replied

_Don't even! Not now!_ I insisted.

"Well, I have news too," I grinned slightly. They all looked at me, and I continued to avert my eyes.

"I was given this, this afternoon," and I set the sword of Godric Gryffindor on the table, "I think I'm meant to have it, for this war."

They all gasped and Maggie looked sincerely impressed. Harry grinned at me.

"Well, we all have our skills then, don't we?" Jethro laughed, "I have my bow, Harry has his wand, Maggie has her hand magic, and you have the sword."

"I've always had a natural talent for wielding it," I agreed with him cautiously.

"That's fantastic though, hun," Maggie whispered. I knew she knew I wasn't looking at her eyes.

"I have something else, too," I sighed, taking a deep breath.

"What?" Harry asked curiously.

"I've also bonded," I took a deep breath, "With Emralda."

"Really? Dude that's awesome! Did you change your eyes or-" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I just went with the eyes," I laughed, looking up at him. Maggie looked at me in shock, not saying a word.

"Well, bravo Neville. We all needed to be riders," Jethro approved.

"Thanks Jethro," I smiled slightly at him.

We continued to eat and discuss strategy, but Maggie never addressed me directly. We trained with our weapons of choice out in the yard, Maggie still not talking directly to me. I was indeed adept with the sword, with a seemingly magical connection to it. Jethro continued to be fantastic with his bow and his arrows. Harry was amazing at using his wand, as per usual. And Maggie had her seemingly endless amount of magical energy. We each brought a unique skill that made the team complete.

I was comfortable with the silence between me and Maggie. I needed that. I needed her to be mad at me too.

It just made more _sense_ that way.

We all turned in for the night, Maggie and I walking back to our flat in silence. We didn't say anything, we didn't touch each other. I had never felt so distant from her, even when we had been apart.

You would think becoming a dragon rider would bring us together in some way, but it didn't. Not at all.

She closed the door behind her as we came into the house. Well, slammed was a more appropriate verb. She turned to me and immediately opened her mouth in fury, as I was expecting.

"How _dare you_ bond to Emralda without _talking to me about it first! HOW DARE YOU!" _she screamed.

"You would never agree to it, and I had to!" I responded, keeping my own fury under control. I still couldn't let out my anger about Jethro. I was _so mad_ I couldn't even let out my anger.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO! YOU'RE A PERFECTLY FINE WIZARD WITHOUT IT-"

"YES I DID!" I screamed back, "I AM FINE AGAINST NORMAL WIZARDS, BUT UP AGAINST A DRAGON RIDER ARMY I'D BE OUT OF MY LEAGUE AND _YOU KNOW IT!_"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TALKED TO ME ANYWAY!" Maggie roared, "REGARDLESS, YOU SHOULD HAVE DISCUSSED IT WITH ME AND THAILUS FIRST-"

"THERE WAS NO TIME! THE UNIONSITS COULD BE HERE ANY DAY AND WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE ON FORMALITIES!" I shouted.

"THERE WAS ALWAYS TIME- THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE HERE _TOMORROW_-"

"THEY COULD!" I roared, "THERE'S NO POINT IN DELAYING IT ANY LONGER!"

"IT'S A HUGE DECISION! IT CONCERNS BOTH ME AND THAILUS _DEEPLY_ AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE COURTESY TO-"

"YOU'RE OK WITH HARRY BONDING, BUT WITH ME-" I wanted to scream and scream and scream at her. I wanted to shake her, shake the love for Jethro right out of her. But we kept our distance from each other, a full table length apart from one another. I could hear a baby crying upstairs and I could hear the muttering of Seamus and Kylie, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"HARRY IS DIFFERENT! I KNOW HE ISN'T JUST DOING IT BECAUSE HIS WIFE IS A DRAGON RIDER, AND I'VE SEEN HIM FIGHT ON THAILUS-"

"I FOUGHT ON THAILUS JUST FINE, THANKS," I shouted, "AND LIKE I WOULD JUST DO THIS TO GET CLOSER TO YOU, SINCE APPARENTLY IT'S PULLING US APART."

"Is this REALLY pulling us apart?" she spat, her voice lowering to a dangerous tone.

"Of course it's not just this," I hissed in response. There was a long silence hovering between us.

"What's wrong," she stated flatly.

"Guess," I whispered.

"No," Maggie muttered.

"One word. Two syllables. Six letters. _J-E-T-H-R-O_. JETHRO," I shouted.

"What about him?" Maggie hissed under her breath, "I've told you-"

"IT'S ALL BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT, MARGARET!" I screamed. I never used her full name and shock registered on her features.

"I KNOW YOU LOVE HIM. I KNOW. HOW COULD I NOT KNOW?" I roared. Maggie still said nothing.

"I FELT IT, INSTANTLY, THOUGH THE GODDAMNED LINK THAT LETS US KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER. I FELT THAT LOVE YOU HAD FOR JETHRO THE MOMENT YOU SAW HIM. DON'T EVEN _TRY TO LIE_," I shouted.

Maggie whispered, "I didn't-"

"YOU LOVE HIM AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN SAY TO DENY IT. WHY DIDN'T YOU _TELL ME_? WHY DID YOU _LIE TO ME_? WHY DIDN'T YOU EXPLAIN THIS WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THOSE TEN YEARS? I THOUGHT **WE COULDN'T FALL FOR ANYONE ELSE** SO WHAT THE **FUCK** DOES THIS MEAN? DO YOU NOT LOVE ME? DID YOU NEVER REALLY LOVE ME? WAS IT BECAUSE WE WERE YOUNG AND STUPID OR WHAT? EXPLAIN THIS TO ME, MAGGIE, BECAUSE IT IS _KILLING ME INSIDE_," I screamed.

"I love you," she whispered hoarsely, tears flowing out her eyes.

"Oh, right," I snorted, sitting down at the table.

"No, I do. I've never doubted that. Not once," Maggie begged.

"Then explain what the _fuck_ happened," I muttered.

"You still don't believe that I love you," Maggie sobbed, looking at my eyes, "I can tell. I can feel it."

"Well, can you blame me for looking at the evidence?" I snapped.

"But the evidence says I love you! We have the link! We have the marriage, the moments, the distance pain, the kids, the…"

"Oh shut it, none of that matters any more. You told me when a Dragon mates, they mate for life. Well? Explain how you could fall in love again if you already had! That's right, you can't, not with what you've told me. So you're an _amazingly fantastically convincing actress._"

"YOU AREN'T!" Maggie screamed, "And this is a two way street. If you feel these things, then that means I do too-"

"Don't you dare yell at me!" I roared, "Don't you _dare_."

"I swear on _everything_ that I love you, Neville!" Maggie sobbed.

"But not only me," I hissed.

"I don't understand how it happ-"

"YES YOU DO."

"I swear, everything any Dragon Rider's every known says that we can't fall in love twice, not if we mate the first time," Maggie sobbed, "I swear."

"Then, what the hell is going on?" I demanded.

"I don't know! You heard what happened with Kylie and Richard. Kylie didn't fall for anyone else, but Richard fell for me-"

"Oh, great. Another bloke staring at my wife's ass. Fantastic. You should just make it an open attraction to the public," I hissed.

"You don't mean that!" Maggie cried.

"Keep. Talking."

"And he fell for another girl too, by the name of Jasmine. But he still loved Kylie the most, in the back of his heart, and she was the one he eventually went back to. So… I dunno… they've hypothesized that what really happens is you remain most loyal to your first love, you'll always go back to him or her if you have the chance, and you won't fall in love again easily?" Maggie offered in a very quiet and terrified voice.

"Then how the _fuck_ did you fall in love with Jethro?" I screamed.

"I don't know! It had been six years or so I think since I had left the UK, ok, three since I had last seen you. I was broken up, torn up, so lonely and so afraid of everything. I needed someone, I didn't have my family anymore, I needed someone to be my friend. He was so vulnerable, so lonely, just like me. And he loved me. I hadn't had someone love me in such a long time I just… and… and he was so loyal, and brave, and kind…"

"And a Unionist."

"He _changed_," Maggie sobbed, "He changed for _me_. Not for anyone else. And he would do anything for me, he almost died for me…"

"How many times did I do that? I think I lost count," I spat.

"That's not the point! It's not a competition!"

"It _is_ a competition and you _know it_," I roared.

"No! You've won! There's no competition!" Maggie sobbed.

"Then, if I won, why did you give him this _consolation prize? AFTER THE FACT!" _I screamed.

"I couldn't help it! I couldn't! I would have had to have been a heartless bitch to not-"

"You're fooling me!"

"WHY ARE YOU BEING SO MEAN?" Maggie cried.

"BECAUSE YOU BROKE MY HEART!" I roared.

There was another long pause of silence. Maggie clearly didn't know what to say to that and I didn't want her to say anything at all to it.

"I didn't do anything with him. He kissed me and I never kissed him back. And, before I realized my feelings, I thought he was dead. I only figured it out after the fact," Maggie murmured hoarsely after a long pause in which we simply stared at each other across the table.

"If I wasn't around, would you do anything with him?" I muttered, "If you were back in the US."

"No. I would never cheat on you," she whispered smoothly.

"I don't believe you. By now you would have been there for 14 years or so. Everyone has needs. And I don't believe you would have remained faithful for this long," I sighed.

"But I _would have_. I could never have done that. I knew that then and I know that now."

"What if you knew you would never see me again?" I demanded.

Another long silence prevailed between us. I could hear another baby start to cry. I was glad Nate and Alice were at school so they couldn't hear these things. I was always glad they were at school, lately, but today I was especially glad.

"That's what I thought," I muttered when the silence had gone on for long enough.

I stood up and began pacing back and forth.

"You can't understand, Neville. I'm the only person you've ever loved, who's ever loved you like that. You can't-" Maggie began feebly.

"That's your next line? Really?" I snapped, "How I'm too pathetic to understand!"

"I don't understand why no one's expressed interest in you! You're the-"

"Save me the lovey dovey speech!" I hissed.

"But still…" Maggie moaned.

"That's not even true, anyway. Over those ten years I played wingman for Seamus and Dean plenty of times, thanks. Plenty of women have expressed interest and I _turned them down_," I snapped.

"So did I!" Maggie cried.

"And then there was Hannah," I sighed.

"Hannah?" Maggie asked, confused, her voice very small.

"It had been seven years or so since you had left. Most people thought you were never coming back, and the rest hid the fact that they thought you were never coming back. Let's face it, it seemed hopeless for a long time," I snapped, "You should have gone catatonic earlier to come back earlier, but you had _Jethro_ so it was _OK_-"

"It was a combination of things, not just that!" Maggie snapped, "I don't think going catatonic earlier would have-"

"Yes it would and _YOU KNOW IT_," I roared, "Anyway, Hannah came to my flat one evening. I was completely alone. We talked for a long time about how I _missed_ you, couldn't stop _thinking about _you, felt like I was _dying_ without you. She came over a lot, for a lot of days, to listen to me drag _on and on_ about you, while you were getting all buddy buddy with Jethro-"

"God dammit Neville!" Maggie moaned.

"DON'T TURN THIS ON ME, YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE!" I roared.

Maggie looked at me silently. Tears were pouring down her face in streams and I couldn't even bring myself to care about them.

"One night, Hannah told me she loved me. I explained how I could _never love her_, could never be that person for her, because I had _mated with you_. She still came over, but she never made a move on me. Well, once she was drunk and she tried to kiss me, but I walked her back home like a polite gentlemen. Turns out I was wrong! Ha!" I laughed humorlessly.

"That's just cause you never would have fallen for her anyway…" Maggie murmured.

"Oh, I disagree. She is a nice person who understands me. She cares deeply for me even to the point of self-deprecating behavior. And, if I hadn't been so blinded by you, I would have been able to fall for her, no question," I meant for my words to sting, "I guess that's just the difference between us."

"Of course I'm blinded by you-"

"No you're not. You couldn't have been. You fell for Jethro. The two _don't mix_."

"I love you," Maggie whispered.

"I find that really hard to believe."

"What can I do? To make you trust me? I'll do anything," Maggie begged, "I don't care. I lived without Jethro for years and I never needed him."

"You didn't _miss him_? I find that hard to believe."

"Of course…" she swallowed, "Of course I missed him. But I can live without him, quite easily. I _can't_ live without _you_."

"Things I find hard to believe, by Neville Longbottom," I hissed.

"I changed my name for you! I've nearly died for you! I've carried six children for you! I gave up my home, my family for you!" Maggie sobbed.

I stared at her silently, unable to reply without even crueler words.

"What can I do to redeem myself to you?" she asked again, begging still.

"I don't know," I snapped, "Nothing."

"_Nothing?"_

"When I figured out you loved him it KILLED ME INSIDE. KILLED ME. It TORE UP MY HEART into little pieces and SCATTERED THEM AROUND, BURNED THEM, DEMOLISHED THEM. I FEEL LIKE MY HEART'S BEEN TORN OUT OF MY CHEST CAVITY, MAGGIE, AND _YOU DID THAT_."

"Well now you're doing the same to me!" Maggie sobbed.

"Good."

"YOU DON'T MEAN THAT!" Maggie cried.

"OF COURSE I DO!"

"I never pegged you for a cruel one, Neville," Maggie whispered.

"I can't control it- I've never been this _mad_ or this _hurt_ before. It's what I feel," I hissed.

"I can't… I can't…" Maggie burst into full on tears, resting her head on the table, "I don't know what…"

I got up and grabbed my coat. Maggie looked at me, her eyes red and puffy, standing up herself.

"Where are you going?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Out," I replied simply.

"Please, please don't go Neville," she begged, running up to me and holding onto my sleeve. I flinched away and she sobbed.

"Please, I can't… I can't live without you. Please don't leave me," Maggie begged as I put on my coat and grabbed my wand, "Please!"

I didn't say anything, I didn't even look at her. I couldn't.

"Please don't leave me, Neville. I'll die. Please. I'm sorry. I don't know what I can do to make it up to you, I don't know what to say. But please, just don't leave me. I can't do this, this living business, without you. Please. _Please just listen to me_," Maggie cried hysterically.

"I need air. And I need to be alone," I replied softly.

"Nev…" Maggie moaned.

"Just… Just… I need to go," I pulled away from her as she fell to the floor sobbing, "I need to think about things."

"Don't leave me," Maggie begged again.

I didn't reply as I slammed the door behind me and walked out into the cool night's air.

AN: Well… That was a heavy one. Heh. Heh. Heh. The next chapter will be some Maggie POV, mostly Neville.

Special shout outs to Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan and TA-twinArmageddons for reviewing! I would love for more reviews for this chapter, of course. I'm on summer vacation again! YES! I will finish this story before long but reviews would seriously encourage me in that! We still got a ways to go! But it'll be epic and I would love for you guys to stick with me. So please review!

I survived my first year of college. Surely this deserves the reward of REVIEWS!


	48. ch 11: The School

Ch.11 The School

_We are ready for the siege  
And we are armed up to the teeth  
Be careful how you live and breathe  
Release what's brewing underneath  
How many times do you wanna die?_

~The Royal We by the Siliversun Pickups

_Maggie POV_

I watched that door for a long time. Everything within me felt shattered. I suppose that had been his point, his goal. To make me feel like he felt.

It was amazing how acutely painful it was to have someone stab you with a knife in the heart and twist it around.

I sat at that table, unable to cry, unable to move. I knew Kylie and Seamus were still taking care of the babies upstairs, and I knew I should go to them, but I couldn't bring myself to stand up from my chair and go up to do so. I was a terrible mother.

I stared down at my hands for a while, still not processing correctly exactly what had happened.

When the door opened again I looked up wildly, hopefully, thinking _he's back, Neville's back, he forgave me, we aren't breaking up, Nev still loves me…_

It was Jethro. Of course. The last person I wanted to see.

"Hey Maggie, I heard you had a fight with Neville," Jethro greeted, "I…"

"It was over you," I sighed, "Maybe it's not good for you to be here."

"I reject that," Jethro stated, "You're my best friend. Even if I'm no longer yours, I still feel a duty to help you," Jethro sat across from me at the table, "You know that."

I glared at him slightly.

"Look," he leaned across and took my unwilling hands into his, "I know we argued this afternoon, but that doesn't matter now, OK? I don't want to see you hurt like this and I'm going to do whatever I can to cheer you up, right now."

"All I want right now is a beer," I moaned, resting my head on the table.

"One beer, coming right up-" Jethro stood up.

"I'm breast feeding you twit," I sighed.

"Seriously?" Jethro raised an eyebrow at me.

"Seriously. I still love my children," I muttered.

He left to the kitchen and came back with two beers, "You can have one drink. You don't intend to feed them in two hours do you?"

I shook my head, thought _what the hell_, and took the beer from him. He had a point. And I needed something to dull the pain.

"Alright, I know we fought this afternoon before dinner," Jethro began, "I'm sorry. I am really sorry for what I said."

"You had no right to say it," I snapped, "None at all."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry," Jethro sighed.

"And it doesn't help that you said that this afternoon, or that you're here now," I sobbed, "Why have you done this? You should just go."

"I need to be here for you, come on now," Jethro sighed.

"You told me you loved me and you wanted me to leave Neville for you," I snapped, "You kissed me when you _knew_ I am… was… something… married."

"I know," Jethro stated, "And I realized immediately that I was being a horny bastard and I won't do it again."

I stared at him for a moment before sighing aloud, "I have had my heart broken twice today, Jethro."

"I know," Jethro muttered.

"I don't care so much about you loving me and you wanting to run away together. That isn't new. What I'm hurt by is that you said you didn't want to see me and get hurt by me again," I sighed, "I'm hurt you said you wouldn't be my friend."

"When you started to leave I immediately took it back," Jethro insisted, "I knew I… I couldn't do that. You're my best friend. And I was stupid."

"But you still said it," I snapped, before sighing, "It's OK. You took it back."

"Neville hasn't," Jethro murmured.

"You don't even know what Neville said," I groaned.

"Then tell me," Jethro squeezed my hand. I looked at him and nodded, detailing everything that we said to each other.

"Neville's just confused and hurt," Jethro declared after some quiet deliberation, "He'll come around. I'll be sure to be gone when he gets back."

"How?" I smiled slightly, in what I hoped was an ironic and unfeeling way, because I didn't feel happy in the slightest.

"Harry and I are texting," Jethro held up his phone, "He's with Neville right now."

"Oh," I sighed, "So this is a joint effort."

"Seamus texted Harry that you two had fought," Jethro admitted.

"Well, at least I know," I paused, "I can't believe he said those things."

"Nor can I," Jethro agreed, "But its Neville. He really didn't mean it. And he still loves you, and you still love him. It'll be OK."

"I don't want… I don't want him to be hurt by me anymore. I've wrecked up a good chunk of his life," I muttered.

"You did," Jethro grinned slightly, "But I bet he wouldn't trade you for the world."

I looked up at Jethro with watery eyes and smiled, "Thanks, Jethro."

"No problem Maggie," Jethro gave my hand another squeeze, "Promise me we can put this afternoon behind us?"

"Yes," I nodded, "I… I was put into confusion because you came back. You know that."

"I do," Jethro raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know what or who I wanted anymore. I was so overwhelmed by the fact you were back that I was blinded to the fact I had Neville and he _is_ my only. And I let this consume me so much that I lost Neville, if only briefly. Today- arguing with you, arguing with Neville- has put my head back on my shoulders. I'm going to get over you," I smiled slightly, "Fairly soon."

"I expected nothing less," Jethro nodded.

"Please try to get over me too," I begged.

"I once would have said that would be impossible," Jethro paused, "But… maybe it's not."

"You have your eye on someone?" I smiled slyly, not faking the happiness in the smile now. Yesterday I would have been jealous. Today I was relieved.

"I think so," Jethro sighed, "She'll never fall for me, though. What a surprise! I think that's just my lot in life," Jethro stood up, "But at least she isn't you anymore."

"Fair enough," I bobbed my head, "Neville's on his way?"

"He and Harry are wrapping it up I think," Jethro kissed the top of my head in what literally felt extraordinarily platonic, "Don't drink another bottle. One's enough."

I nodded in agreement as he left, closing the door behind him. I felt a door had been closed with him that needed to be, and I was relieved. I was finally independent of both Neville and Jethro, and the clear and logical choice remained in my head.

If I had to separate from Neville for ten years, now, I could do it a lot better. Because I knew, at last, why I needed him. I needed him to be my lover- not my air, not my protector. My best friend, my co-parent, and my lover. That was why I needed him and if I had to I could be without him.

For some reason, I felt healthier than I had in years.

_Neville POV_

I slammed the door behind me and walked out into the cool night's air. I went off at a brisk walk towards the Hog's Head, immediately entering and sitting at the bar.

"One fire whiskey please," I sighed hoarsely. Aberforth sent one to me and asked no questions.

As I nursed the drink, I thought back over every memory that made me especially nostalgic. Every memory that made me so unbelievably sad that those days were lost…

_She was sitting by the fire. My best friend. The giant dragon in the fireplace was grinning in what I was sure he thought was a friendly manner. It had the opposite effect- I could see it in his eyes. He didn't want me to hurt her. _

_How would I hurt her? _

Today I found that ironically funny.

_I couldn't help it. She looked beautiful. It was the first time I had thought that so coherently about her. Sure, the thought had drifted in the back of my mind before. But never had it been at the forefront. _

_Her hair was disheveled a little- just slightly tosseled. Like she had been a little stressed. But it was cute. When was she not- wait- what was I… _

What had I been thinking?

_Her teal eyes looked like the coast on a beautiful summer day- wait… I was delusional now. But they did. I couldn't help it. _

_"What… How… Who… Bloody…" I stuttered. I couldn't help but stutter. I was struck instantly. I couldn't… help but think… what it would be like… to hold her in my arms… in a romantic manner… _

_"Thailus, Neville. Neville, Thailus," Maggie introduced, looking pained at the situation. _

_Thailus was a dragon. _

_She didn't have a boyfriend. _

_Something else happened in my stomach and I felt rather sick. _

_"How do you do," Thailus nodded, "Maggie has told me a lot about you."_

_Maggie. Has told him. A lot. About me. _

_About _me_?_

_"When you said 'my Thailus' that one time I thought you were talking about a boyfriend or something, not a… not a pet… not a pet dragon!'" _

How often she hadn't really told me the truth. How often she had kept information from me- always for such a noble reason. But still. Dragon Riding Hand Magic The Kids The War Jethro…

More dialogue runs back through my head again.

_"Now, sweetie, don't cry," Thailus soothed Maggie as tears formed in the base of her eyes, glittering slightly- wait, glittering?- in the firelight, "It'll be OK."_

_I couldn't _not_ scoot forward and wrap my arm around her shoulder. And she seemed to lean into me, ever so slightly, as I murmured, "Yeah, your mum is in a better place now."_

Had I really made her cry? I had vowed to never make her cry. Maggie. How could I have made her cry? Even after… that horrible week… even years and years removed, how could I hurt her, ever?

_She wasn't responsive to the world. I helped her off the couch, I helped her eat, I helped lead her to the girl's bathroom where I left her in the capable hands of Parvati and Lavender. I held back her hair from her face, I grabbed Thailus, I did everything I could… _

_Her screams in my head kept reverberating and as I spoon fed her some pasta. I knew I loved her. How could I not? _

_She finally came to and argued with McGonagall and I felt my heart stop. She was talking. Would she be OK? Or would she go back to how she had been? I couldn't… I had been so close to kissing her before everything happened. She was so close to me, holding my hand, looking flustered- why did I love it so much when she looked flustered?_

It was sexy, you seventeen year old twit. She was so unbelievably sexy when she was flustered.

_She was talking, the last time I heard her voice in something that wasn't pained before the Week, and she was stuttering nervously, still flustered, "And, um… By the way… I li-" _

Now I know she was about to say I like you. And she knows I was leaning down to kiss her in that moment. God damn Alecto Carrow for ruining everything.

_But now she was talking again, talking to our Professor, and my heart started again, pounding loudly in my ears, hope filling my entire body. _

_She turned around after talking to McGonagall, looking at all of us. When her eyes turn to me I try to look as determined as I could. No one would hurt her again, not on my watch. Not like this man had hurt her. I couldn't help it. I think something of how I felt was reflected in the back of my eyes as well. _

And I had hurt her now.

_She sat next to me. I knew I had to keep space from her but I couldn't help it. Her hair was falling in front of her face, like always, but today I wasn't going to let her get away with hiding her face from me. I had always wanted to pull back the hair from her face. So today I gently tucked a strand of it behind her ear, murmuring "Hi honey." _

_She seemed to shiver a little. I felt bad for a second but when she leaned slightly into me the feeling passed. She was so close I could smell her- for not having bathed herself, she still smelled amazing. Like ash and fire and rock. Like nature. _

_Maybe that was just her… _

_People fretted and fettered around her, offering things and talking to her. I even chimed in a little. But I couldn't help myself as I wrapped my arm around her waist. She still didn't protest in the slightest. I closed my eyes because I couldn't help how right it felt in that moment. _

_When they all left, I stood up to grab a blanket and I draped it around Maggie, sitting back next to her and wrapping my arms around her. She shifted towards me and I took that as a good sign, pulling her closer. She sighed and rested there for a moment, so warm and… _

I was always a goner. I never had a choice.

_"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked after we just sat there for a while, "You do _not_ have to, but maybe it'll help…" _

_She looked at me for a long while. I looked down into her eyes and my heart stopped again. She was so close I could kiss her. But I didn't want to break any boundaries. She had just had the biggest one broken in the worst way possible and the last thing I wanted was to hurt her again. _

I am a horrible person.

_"I… I… I…" she stuttered, "I've never wanted to die so much before in my entire life."_

_I couldn't help it. I breathed in sharply and held her upper arms. I couldn't believe it. She couldn't die. She could never die. I couldn't lose her before I had her… _

_I looked at her really intensely, trying to calm her down. She looked so terrified but the moment our eyes met she seemed to calm, just slightly. _

_"She… She… it hurt so _much_," Maggie sobbed. I held her closer and rubbed her back. How dare she hurt her so much. I wanted to kill her for performing that God forsaken curse on her. The curse that takes everything away from me every time. _

_"I want to kill her. I want her to suffer. No one should perform that curse on anyone and I want her to go to Hell for doing that to you," I hissed. I was so angry. My parents weren't enough for you? The world has to take away another person by torturing them into insanity? Someone whom I hadn't even had the chance to tell how I felt… yet… how much I… _

I loved her so much. I still do.

_She sobbed for a while longer before stuttering, "He… He… He… I feel so… dirty and violated and broken, Nev," she started sobbing and I gently held her face in my hands. Boundaries were probably being crossed now but I couldn't bring myself to care. _

_"He kept talking and calling me names and telling me to tell him and was rough with every inch of my body and I never needed to see any part of him naked and I just… I just… I just… He called me a horrible slut, whore, c*** and I started to believe I was one…" she started to cry in earnest. _

_"You. Are. Not. Any. Of. Those. Things," I assured firmly, needing her to understand the truth behind my words. _

_"He is just an inhumane bastard who wanted to break you into telling him about hand magic and you know what? You weren't broken. You are stronger than he or his sister could ever be and that drove him **nuts**. He violated you but for that he is going to burn in hell for years as soon as I can kill him. You've done **absolutely nothing wrong at all**, Mags. Nothing at all." I meant every word. _

The feeling of killing that bastard had been sickly satisfying.

_I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to kiss her so much. I wanted to hold her in my arms until she felt whole again. But I knew where she was, what place she was in. All she wanted right now was to forget that men even existed, I was sure of it. _

If I had kissed her it would have gone OK, I knew now.

_She stuffed her face into my chest and couldn't quit crying for the longest time, but I was OK with that. I rubbed her back soothingly, my other arm wrapped around her waist and my cheek pressed to the top of her head, murmuring quietly to calm her down. It took a while before she stopped crying, but soon enough she was asleep in my arms. _

_Well, **now** I had a conundrum. Where was I to go? To be honest, I was comfortable sleeping right where I was, but I didn't want Maggie to feel like she had had an invasion of her privacy. _

_I gently laid her down on the couch and she started shivering violently. I quickly wrapped my arms around her again and she stopped. I reached around with my arms beneath her shoulders and her knees and hoisted her up, holding her against my chest. She curled there automatically, her head snuggled (for lack of a better term) next to my heart. I carried her gingerly to her room and set her down on top of the bed. She started to shiver again. I picked her up again and managed to, quite clumsily, pull down the covers with my hand connected to the arm supporting her knees, holding tightly around her shoulders with my other arm. I let out a small grunt with the effort as I finally got all the sheets down. I placed her down on the bed again and pulled up the covers around her, gently tucking them in. _

_She didn't shiver now but I felt horrible leaving her there. _

I left her alone at home. How could I do that?

_I sat by her bed and grabbed one of the extra blankets, draping it over myself as I rested against the side of her bed. Her face was fairly close to mine and when I realized this I went into momentary shock. _

_I looked up at her closed eyes as she breathed slowly and evenly for the first time in a week. I reached up, gently cradling the back of her head as I pressed my lips to her forehead. _

_I fell asleep- well, half asleep- there, waking up periodically on instinct to check and make sure she was OK. When it was around morning and I felt relatively well rested, I kissed her forehead again and I walked out to the Great Hall to grab her some coffee. _

Every night for the rest of the nights I was with her- which was every night save one until she had to leave for America- I would kiss her forehead and watch over her as she slept.

And I thought that some kid with a sob story back in America could compete with that?

I had finished my fire whiskey and this flashback by the time I looked up and saw Harry walk into the bar.

"Hey man," he sat next to me and got two more fire whiskeys, "Heard all about it."

"I'm an idiot," I muttered.

"Course you are," Harry laughed, "You and Maggie are written into the fabric of the universe."

"Yeah," I sighed. I had neglected to remember that for a week or so.

"Would you really rather have had it any other way, since it was supposed to happen?" Harry continued, taking a chug of fire whiskey.

I sighed, "What if she hadn't been sent back?"

"Think about it. Think about all the possibilities for you two," Harry took another swig, "Isn't this the best way it could have happened?"

I did think about it.

_Maggie didn't have to leave. We got married relatively soon, the dragons came over, we had kids. They weren't the same kids, but they were still beautiful. _

_The war raged and went quicker. In five years they were coming to collect her. Maggie. She lost all three of her family members and Jethro remained a Unionist. They attacked us and we were extraordinarily unprepared. _

Well, maybe that wasn't the way to go. Maybe she did need to go back to America.

But her mum had been British. What if, somehow, her mum and her dad had met and gotten married in Britain? She would have gone to Hogwarts, had nothing to do with dragons, and been fine… the UK wouldn't have been targeted for years.

_She gets put in Gryffindor and immediately teams up with Harry, Ron, Hermione- the gang. But she always would talk to me. She captivated me even then, wearing her two side braids and talking back to everyone who dared challenge her. We became real friends in second year, when we were forced to be Herbology partners as Ron was sick in the Hospital Wing from those stupid slugs. She would always make sure to hang out with me after that lovely fiasco with soil flying everywhere. _

_The day she found out how my parents were effectively killed was the day she and I actually hung out alone together outside of Hogwarts. She, instead of going home or going back to the Weasley's where she was sleeping over, came with me and went through the streets of London with me. We visited muggle shops and bough useless contraptions. At the end, I decided- what the hell- and kissed her. She kissed me back. _

_The rest of the years were harrowing but we got through it- there wasn't the death security but we still knew we would die without each other. And we got married around the same time as Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione. Three weddings, actually, in the same week, so we could all go to each other's. _

_We never got to know Luna. _

_Thailus died from rebelling the Unionists and the Unionists attacked the UK when we were too old and feeble to help, Unionism thus taking over the world. _

"You OK mate?" Harry asked, "You spaced out there for a second."

"I think I just had some sort of parallel universe flash where I saw what the world would be like if Maggie never had to go back or grew up here," Neville offered, "It was weird."

"Eh, weird things happen," Harry shrugged, "But you see? How it's better for the world that your lives turned out this way?'

"Yeah," I sighed, "I just… wish we didn't have to suffer for it."

"You'll get through," Harry patted my shoulder heavily, "Anything else you need to get off your chest?"

I looked at him. I let out a sigh, "I'm just sad. I feel like Maggie and I are growing apart."

"So you've finally left the Honeymoon phase," Harry shrugged, "You've been in it for long enough. How many years have you been together now? The twins are turning thirteen next week, so…"

"Fourteen years," I smiled slightly, "Yeah."

"So finally it's over. You've both got to learn how to be people apart as well as a couple," Harry held out his glass, "Like Lily and Marshall on How I Met Your Mother."

"You still watch that?" I laughed.

"The season finale was fantastic, alright? And there's only one more season apparently so he _has_ to meet the mother at Barney and Robin's wedding and… I sound like a girl," Harry laughed.

"It's alright, I'm obsessed with Doctor Who so," I shrugged and knocked my bottle against his.

"At least yours is a British show," Harry sighed, "Anywho, but you get my point."

"Yeah," I smiled slightly, "Yeah I do."

"It's good to be not so much the same person," Harry paused, "If she dies, it's gotta be _you_ who takes care of your kids, and you need to be able to be on your own. And it's healthier anyway."

"I understand," I sighed, "But it's just… a weird feeling. Knowing I willingly left and, even though I miss her, I don't _need_ to be with her right now."

"You'll get used to it. You don't need to be so attached to her that you can't be without her for any more seconds than you need to," Harry paused, "That's not healthy."

I nodded, "I feel so much more independent than… before."

"That is good," he agreed, "But you'll be able to go back home now and view this not from a clingy, I will die without you type of view. You'll be able to talk to her logically, understandingly, like a grown up."

Harry was smirking a little- he was becoming more of a prankster, like he always did when he drank.

"You're right though," I acknowledged, "I just couldn't believe that she would fall for anyone besides me and I couldn't get past that. But she never did anything horrible to _me_. She never cheated on me; she never contemplated leaving me, even though we had been apart for so long. And I need to remind myself of that."

"You've shown great growth today, young padawan," Harry joked.

"Alright, it's time for me to go," I laughed, finishing my whiskey.

"Go get her, Nev," Harry smiled.

"Alright," I smiled slightly, standing up. I had had two fire whiskeys now and was a little tipsy.

"You can walk back alright?" Harry joked.

"Of course," I rolled my eyes.

And I did walk back alright. I finally reached the house and entered, terrified that I would enter and find her gone, her stuff disappeared, no note or anything. I was shaking so much with worry that I had to sit down in front of the door for a moment.

_You can do this_, I thought forcefully, _you can go back in there, you can get her forgiveness, you can. _

I finally stood up and opened the door again. I walked inside and saw her sitting at the table where she had been before. She was asleep, or seemed to be, napping in the chair. I quietly stepped inside, prepared to do what I had done so long ago- tuck her in and kiss her forehead before sleeping next to her.

But the moment I closed the door she jumped up about five feet in the air and looked about wildly.

"Nev?" she asked hopefully, looking at the door.

"Hey," I sighed, "Look, Mags, I'm…"

She stood up and walked up to face me. It was dark and I flicked my wand to turn the lights back on.

"I'm very hurt by you, Neville," she sighed softly.

"I know," I murmured, "I'm-"

"I broke your heart, and now you've repaid me the favor," Maggie continued, "Not that I don't deserve it, but…"

"You _don't_ deserve it-" I tried to get into my apology.

"But I just… I don't know how to make it better, on either end. I'll try to do it for the rest of our lives if you promise to put up with me for that long," Maggie smiled humorlessly.

"Shh," I finally sighed. She looked shocked at my statement as I continued, "I'm really sorry, Maggie. I had no right to yell and I was wrong. I just… I was hurt. I know I've said that but I was. And I was so... it was inconceivable for you to have feelings for anyone but me but I wasn't there, I don't understand what happened and you never actually did anything to intentionally hurt me, so it doesn't matter. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I said those things to you and I was wrong to hurt you so much," I explained.

She smiled weakly, "It's OK. I forgive you."

I stepped forward and I gently placed my hands on her waist.

"You do?" I whispered.

"Of course I do," Maggie started crying a little, tears forming at the base of her eyes, "You're my Neville."

She placed her hands on my upper arms and looked up at me. I felt myself cry a little as well as I murmured, "And you're my Maggie."

She gave me a watery smile and whispered, "Can you forgive me?"

I didn't even hesitate as I responded, "I already did."

I leaned down and pressed my nose to hers. She closed her eyes and moved closer as if to kiss me but stopped, our lips barely apart.

"You're the only man I ever needed, Neville," she whispered against my lips, "I love you."

"I love you too," I murmured, "So much. I could never stop."

She finally leaned in and kissed me and I pulled her closer to me. We continued to kiss and kiss as we walked until we made it up the stairs and collapsed into our bedroom. Seamus and Kylie must have left- the babies were all in their bassinets around the bed, sound asleep. They might have left when I came back in or some such nonsense.

It was quite a while before we finally found ourselves tangled in the bedclothes, curled around each other and our breathing slowing down.

"Well," Maggie gasped breathlessly, "That definitely goes up there in the hall of fame."

I laughed, equally breathlessly, and kissed her forehead, "I agree. What would you rank it?"

"I dunno," Maggie chuckled, "It's up there with the second night we were reunited."

"But that's… the number one," I fake-gasped, "Our number one time."

"Yep, I think this is up there with it," she giggled, "Tied for first."

"I'll give you that," I agreed, "What are the other nine, out of curiosity?"

"Well, our first time is pretty damn up there," Maggie smiled, "And then there's the night after our wedding."

"Mhm, mhm," I acknowledged, burying my face in her hair.

"And then there's the night after Voldemort was defeated," Maggie continued.

"Oh definitely," I nodded vigorously.

"The night before I had to leave," Maggie sighed.

"Unfortunately yes," I agreed, "I wish it didn't have to be, but… it all worked out ok."

Maggie immediately kissed me, straddling my hips. I groaned, immediately wanting her, but she giggled and sat back next to me again.

"Really?" I sighed.

"Maybe in a minute," she teased.

"Anywho," she continued as I glared at her playfully, curling up against her, "Then there was the day Elena and I were on really good terms again."

"The sixtuplets were conceived," I agreed huskily.

"The day you found out I was pregnant, once we had gotten back from St. Mungo's," Maggie laughed as I climbed around her and hovered over her, playfully pushing me back to lying next to her.

"I was really excited. Like I am now," I joked.

"Maybe in a minute," Maggie giggled.

"The day you snuck in and crossed the floo to help me fight the Unionists at the cabin," Maggie continued as I trailed kisses along her neck.

"Mhm, that _was_ fantastic," I agreed.

"Ah, there w-was… Nev," she breathed.

"Keep going," I encouraged, but definitely still distracting her.

"The day we found out I h-had to leave," she gasped, "We were… yeah."

"I was so sad I was going to lose you," I murmured against the small of her back.

"Oh god just…" Maggie moaned.

"Tell me the last one," I chuckled, hovering over her again as she looked at me longingly.

"When… when Elena… hurt me and you wanted to comfort me," Maggie gasped as I began to kiss her lips, "That night."

"I wanted to make you feel better," I acknowledged as I kissed her.

"Oh god just go," Maggie begged, and I happily obliged. We didn't get much sleep that evening, and I was surprisingly OK with that.

The next few weeks went so much better. We still had some tense moments when Jethro was present, but we moved on past them, talking through it and making up.

It was two weeks before school term ended. The twins had turned thirteen and everyone was pretty happy. No one had attacked again and we all felt trained up. That Saturday I spent at home, massaging my wife's feet as the sixtuplets were taken out by Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Seamus and Parvati. Maggie just wanted a weekend to herself and our friends were surprisingly happy to oblige.

After I massaged her feet for a while, she giggled a little. I looked at her in amusement.

"You were never meant to be a masseuse, dear," she laughed. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"I'm doing my best. You're terrible at this too."

"Fair enough," she acknowledged.

I beamed at her and nuzzled her softly. She reached up and kissed me happily.

"Fighting was the best thing that happened to us I see," she laughed.

"Heh. Yeah," I grinned.

We cuddled together on the couch for a long while, silent but comfortable. I was just about to fall asleep curled up next to her when the front door burst open and I jumped up in shock.

"Hey folks- stop being old and come with us," Harry joked. I glared at him and Maggie rolled her eyes.

"What are you up to?" Maggie asked cheerfully. Jethro followed Harry and Ginny, and Elena followed close behind him. Ron and Hermione brought up the rear.

"Well, Jethro fancied a drink, and I knew you had gotten babysitters for a sanity day, so I thought, why not make a night of it?" Harry laughed, "I ran into Elena and she offered to come along too."

"Really Elena?" I laughed, "You can hang out with Jethro now?"

"I figured if you could, I could," Elena rolled her eyes. There was a brief awkward silence at the comment before Maggie and I both got up off of the couch.

"Sure, I'll have something," Maggie smiled, "I'm allowed one drink." Jethro chuckled softly at that and I sighed. Maggie reached out and squeezed my hand, our symbol for "you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

We all caravanned out of our house, apparating down to the Leaky Cauldron, Jethro forced to do this through side-along. He went with Harry, but he seemed rather reluctant about it. Maggie and I shared a look but didn't press the issue. We reached the pub and grabbed a large table, everyone sitting around, laughing, and drinking. Maggie had more than a few, but she was feeding the kids with bottle formula now, so I wasn't too worried about it at that moment. We all just needed to relax and not think about the war, after all.

The person who got the least drunk was Maggie though. The person who got the most drunk was Ron, to our amusement, who kept making slurs about him and Hermione that made Hermione blush uncontrollably and the rest of us laugh hysterically.

It was getting late and I was about to suggest we go to Shell Cottage, grab the kids, and go home when a young man ran into the bar, looking terrified.

"They've got my sister!" he gasped, breathing heavily, "They've got all of them! They just came outta nowhere!"

"What are you talking about, kid?" a grumpy wizard who had been annoyed with us all night demanded.

"The school," the man cried, "Hogwarts."

"What?" Maggie and I demanded at the same instant.

"The Unionists have attacked and captured Hogwarts!" the man finally spat out. Maggie, Harry, Jethro and I all stood up and screamed, "WHAT?"

"They've gotten Hogwarts and have let the teachers go, but the students are being held hostage!" the man continued, "Well, by let the teachers go I mean they forced them out, threatening to kill the kids if they didn't."

"Why would they do this?" Elena gasped in shock.

"They know they can get us with our kids," Harry breathed, "Teddy. I promised Andromeda that I'd look after Teddy now that she's gone."

"Nate, Alice!" Maggie cried out, clutching the front of my shirt, "They've got Nate and Alice, Neville, _they've got our babies they're going to hurt our babies!_" she screamed.

I pulled her into my arms and looked over at Jethro with a panicked expression. He simply looked determined.

"The choice is clear," he said, grabbing his bow off the table, "I promised Nate he would never get hurt by the Unionists and I am keeping that promise."

"Victoire, too," Harry groaned, "They've got her too. Bill and Fleur can't help, they probably don't even know what's going on… I love that kid. I've loved that little girl since the moment she was born…"

"They're all my students," I cried, "Those four are… no. They are… they can't be in danger…."

I was wearing my sword. Maggie, Harry, Jethro and I weren't hammered like the rest of them. I nodded.

"We have to go," I sighed, "We have to go get them."

"How can we do that, when we have no idea what's going on?" Maggie sobbed.

"What choice do we have?" I snapped, "These are our kids. You said so yourself."

Maggie nodded in agreement and the four of us left the bar. The rest of them did not and I hadn't expected them to. We all left the bar and apparated to my house. We could hear the screaming and commotion from the castle and Maggie sobbed again.

I looked over at my house and saw that a fire was blazing. I frowned and ran inside, the others close behind me. The fire was a floo fire, but there was no head sticking out of it. The four of us instantly stuck our heads through at once, somehow managing to fit.

We were looking in on an abandoned Hogwarts classroom. Inside were quite a few wizards, all laughing and chuckling.

"Aha! Here they are! We set up that floo _ages_ ago. They must have just found out," one man, who had an American accent, chuckled.

"Yeah, Longbottom's never been one for awareness," one man, who had a British accent with a slur of stupidity, chuckled.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" I snapped angrily.

"We're the men who've got your children locked away in this little classroom," a third man, with an American accent, chuckled, "And you'd do well to not irritate us, eh?"

"Where are they," Maggie hissed. It wasn't even a question.

"Why, right behind me, Mrs. Longbottom," the British man chortled. We all looked and saw, huddled and locked into a corner with some sort of makeshift cage, the four kids. Victoire looked like she had been crying, but the rest of them looked determined and emotionless.

"Don't you _dare hurt them!_" Maggie screamed.

"Oh, we won't, if you heed our demands," another American laughed.

"Can you tell us who you are first?" Harry snapped.

"Well, our British friend here is a blast from _your_ past, eh? He wanted an out from Azkaban. We wanted someone who knew the Brits. It was a win win, eh?" the first American chortled.

"Who?" I hissed.

"Gregory Goyle, at your service, Longbottom," the man laughed.

"_No_," Maggie, Harry and I all sighed.

"Draco's on our side now, Goyle, you don't-" Harry groaned.

"Yeah, but Draco was never in Azkaban, was he?" Goyle laughed.

"We have a lot of old Death Eaters locked away on our side," an American laughed, "He's just the one who volunteered for this particular job."

"And who are you?" Jethro snapped, "I don't recognize the lot of you."

"Ah, our old comrade!" the first American laughed, "You wouldn't, would you, you being so high up in the ranking so long ago, back when we were basically interns, at the bottom, next in line for the experimentation block!"

"They've needed to do some promotions since half of our leaders were killed and you left," anther American chuckled.

"I'm Tyler, that's Nick, that's Micky, that's Ralph, and that's Josh," the first man introduced the rest in turn, "Now, are you read to listen to our demands?"

"We won't meet them," Harry snapped.

"First, you must bow down and give in to Unionism. You, and your government," Tyler continued like Harry hadn't talked.

"Not going to happen," Maggie hissed.

"Second, you must submit half of your number for experimentation," Tyler furthered.

"Nope," Jethro snarled.

"Third, the other half must join the Unionist army and help in the world conquest," Tyler continued.

"Never," I roared.

"Fourth, any more children you bear must bond with dragons and be divided as you were," Tyler continued.

"Don't you dare," Maggie snapped.

"Well, if you aren't willing to meet those demands," Tyler chuckled.

"We won't give in to you," I growled, "We will take you down and free our kids."

"See, here's the problem with that, eh?" Tyler laughed, "I'm a very good wizard, Longbottom. And I put a person sticking charm on your fire. Until I say you can, you have to stay in that fire place, and watch what we do to your children."

I felt my eyes widen and Maggie immediately tried to get out of the fire, to no avail.

"So I would rethink your answer very, very carefully," Tyler paused, "Oh don't worry. We'll let you go. The charm doesn't last forever without it draining all my energy, since I had to use Hand Magic for it. But until then…"

Harry looked lost and Jethro closed his eyes tightly.

"So, is that your final answer?" Tyler continued.

I sighed. I looked over at my kids. They all nodded, telling me to do what was right. I wanted, so badly, to just say yes. But even Maggie looked at me and said _don't do it_ with her eyes. We all knew the right choice.

"We will not heed your demands. And the moment the charm wears off, we will rescue our kids," I hissed.

"All by yourselves?" Tyler laughed. The whole congregation laughed with him.

"All. By. Our. Selves."

Tyler glared, "So be it."

He opened up the cage, "Well, Goyle, let's go through with your plan on the Longbottom girl, eh? Then maybe the Weasley one if we still feel up to it."

Goyle chuckled and grabbed my daughter. She hissed at him and spit on his foot. He growled in response and threw her to the ground with a _thunk_. Maggie let out a whimper as Alice lay crumpled there on the ground.

She looked up from where she was- so close to the fire- and tried to smile reassuringly at her mother. It failed miserably.

Goyle walked around and knelt next to Alice, "Well, you see here, Johnson-"

"I go by Longbottom now," Maggie snapped.

"Whatever," Goyle rolled his eyes, "I thought to myself, _what would hurt that girl the most? _What punishment could we inflict on her children that would ring home the most?"

I felt my eyes widen has I realized what he was getting at.

"I mean, it's crude. And no one likes to hear about it. But it's so," Goyle reached around to turn Alice's face towards him, holding her cheek and her chin without gentleness. She glared at him as he continued, "Effective."

"No," Maggie whispered, "Don't, don't, don't, please, don't."

"I think I must," Goyle chuckled, and then he forced Alice to be on all fours on the floor, beating her roughly until she did so. She hadn't started to cry yet, but her eyes were closed.

"Please, don't," Maggie cried.

"Too late," Goyle laughed cruelly, before ripping off my daughter's robes, then her sweater, continuing on.

We were forced to watch our daughter get raped.

AN: Dun dun . Sorry for the very long time in this getting here. I have had terrible, horrible writer's block this entire week and a half or so. Also, could we review here guys? It's summer now. I won't update until I get four reviews for the next chapter, and I'm serious here. It's no longer school, I'm no longer going to be like, 'oh, they just don't have time.' Four reviews or no update.

Thanks to Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan and TA-twinArmageddons for reviewing, I really appreciate it.

Please review!


	49. Ch 12: Crash Test

Ch. 12 Crash Test

_That's how we'll know  
This is not a test, oh no  
This is cardiac arrest  
Of a world too proud to admit our mistakes  
We're crashing into the ground  
As we all fall from grace  
_~Collapse (Post-Amerika) by Rise Against

AN: There was NOT enough reviews for me to post this, however, I'm giving you guys a second chance. This is ridiculous. More than a month and only two reviews. Shame. Shame on everyone. Four or I'm not updating this story again and no one gets to know how it ends.

Maggie didn't stop screaming, she was the loudest voice in the room. Jethro was silently sobbing, Harry had his eyes closed tightly, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from my daughter's.

When Goyle had finished with Alice, he threw her against the wall and she crumpled there, silently sobbing. He pulled Victoire out of the cage next and shoved her in front of us. Teddy and Nate were shouting at the tops of their lungs, trying to break free from where they were chained. The sounds were horrific and the Dragon Riders were all just standing there, laughing darkly.

I felt so bad for Victoire in that moment. At least Alice still had a way to go in the developmental department. Victoire, being part veela, had the body of a woman, and Goyle took full advantage of this to torture her even more cruelly. Where I knew Alice would carry physical scars for the rest of her life, Victoire's would be more of an emotional nature.

Harry and I were screaming along with Maggie now. Jethro was the only one not making sound, simply trying to break free from the fire. We still couldn't. Teddy was sobbing in the corner and Nate had stood up, his arms pulled behind him by the chains, screaming his head off.

Goyle was followed by two more Unionists in taking advantage of Victoire before throwing her next to Alice. Goyle then turned to Nate and ripped him out of his chain.

"Would you stop that infernal screaming, runt?" he hissed, pushing my son into a chair and pulling out a knife. Now Jethro was screaming, and he was the loudest of all.

Goyle began to trace cuts along my son's face as we all screamed at him to stop. I kept trying to wriggle free, to no avail. He then pulled out his wand and traced a pattern with Sectumsempra into my son's arm, as my son screamed at such a high pitch that my ears felt like they were bleeding. Alice was screaming along with him and Victoire was pulling out her hair, shouting along with Alice. Teddy was struggling to break free and I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was succeeding- the chains were coming loose from the wall.

I knew I had to distract the Unionists from Teddy so I continued to scream like I couldn't tell as Goyle carved the word _COWARD_ into my son's arm.

"You're still conscious," he commented in amusement, then looked straight at me as he cast on him, "Crucio."

"NO!" I screamed as loudly as I could as my son did the same, falling out of the chair with a loud thunk and writhing on the floor, screaming and twitching and crying out for me, for his mother, for Alice, for Teddy, for Victoire. Alice was crying loudly and trying to come closer to him but was forced back by a Unionist, who gleefully took the opportunity to rape my daughter a second time. Victoire was curled up into the fetal position and moaning.

"STOP IT, STOP IT NOW!" I screamed at Goyle, who was still using the cruciatus curse. It was my worst nightmare. Maggie hadn't stopped screaming.

Jethro roared, so loudly that I think my ears popped. It had to have been a dragon thing. The roar shocked Goyle into stopping the curse and Nate immediately stopped screaming, simply groaning on the floor. The pause finally allowed Teddy to rip free. He ran forward, his chains dangling on the floor, as he ripped the Unionist off of Alice and pushed Alice behind him as he stood protectively in front of Alice and Victoire.

Nate got up then and managed to stumble next to them in the confusion, weakly standing next to Teddy. Teddy gripped his wrist and glared at the Unionists angrily.

"Why you little-" one angrily shouted, rushing forward. He was the one that had been raping my daughter seconds before.

Jethro roared again and Maggie joined in. It was a terrifying sound even to me as they stood there, roaring as if they were even bigger than their own dragons. The Unionists stared at them in amazement as they managed to break free of the curse holding us in that place and came out of the fire. I felt myself get pulled out of the fire from the other end and found myself in the living room, Harry looking as dazed as me.

"Let's _go_," Maggie screamed, grabbing my wrist as the four of us ran towards the castle. I really hoped there was backup on the way as our four dragons appeared in the sky and swooped down to grab all of us, a blur of brown, green, blue, and black flying towards the castle.

Oscuro immediately crashed through the front gates, running up to the entrance hall, and broke down the doors. I thought morosely of how we had _just_ finished fixing up the castle when I realized I really didn't care. I had to save my kids.

Emralda, Oscuro, Thailus and Norberta all began attacking the castle as Harry, Jethro, Maggie and I ran through the entrance hall and through the corridors. A Unionist appeared, one that hadn't been in the room, and in that instant Jethro strung his bow and shot an arrow through his heart. The Unionist crumpled to the ground, but he was quickly followed by many more, all surrounding us with their wands raised.

"You're outnumbered," one spat, "You might as well give up."

Maggie laughed darkly, "You _think_ we're outnumbered. That's funny," and she shot a burst of energy from her hand, sending all the Unionists in front of her down to the ground. Jethro immediately began shooting arrows at those closest to him, Harry was dueling five people at once and winning, and I easily sliced Gryffindor's Sword through two Unionists and cut the arm off of a third. One realized that using magic against me wouldn't work and ran to grab a sword off the wall, probably thinking it was easy. We parried back and forth for a while before I managed to run him through, my eyes dark, a fury entering me that I never _could _have felt before.

It must have been a dragon thing, because in the next moment I breathed fire and killed two more Unionists.

We had cleared the way enough to keep running through the corridors, Harry and Maggie shooting magic everywhere, Jethro killing opponents that we could see in the distance, and me cutting down anyone who managed to sneak up on us. I was glad I was a teacher here- I knew exactly what room they were in.

We finally reached the right corridor and I burst open the door, which I was sure had been locked but somehow I managed to kick it open. Everyone was still inside, but the kids were chained up to the wall again. Teddy looked like someone had used him as a knife sharpener.

"Stop right there!" the head Unionist shouted. We all stopped in the doorway.

"One more step and we kill you children!" Goyle snapped.

Maggie glared at him, "Who said we'd give you the chance?'

Instantaneously, she sent a blast of magic as Harry did the same with his wand and Jethro shot a slew of arrows. I managed to cut down Goyle and the head Unionist. It had taken a grand total of two seconds. One remained alive, the one who had taken advantage of my daughter besides Goyle. He looked at us all in amazement and shock. He didn't even do anything as I stepped up to him and ran him through his heart, stepping back in fury.

Maggie ran forward to the kids and waved her hand, unlocking all the chains. The four kids all ran forward, all four holding onto us four tightly as we ran towards them. Maggie took aside Alice and Victoire and began waving her wand over them, muttering under her breath as they visibly cleaned up before her eyes. Harry began treating Teddy's wounds as I took Nate in my arms and lessened the redness of his arm scars. Jethro cleaned up the bodies behind us, collecting his arrows.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Neville," Teddy sobbed quietly.

I looked at him in amazement, "Why are you sorry? _I'm_ sorry," I cried.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Maggie moaned, sitting down and crying.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered in unison with Jethro.

"I promised I'd take care of them," Teddy sobbed, "I failed, Uncle Neville, I failed."

"You did _not_ fail," I assured, "Teddy, you were attacked by around a hundred wizards, all much older than you, all much more experienced."

"We heard them attacking and I grabbed Alice and Nate and Victoire and we all tried to get out of the school but when we got to the back way out Goyle and his cronies were there and I managed to stun a few of them but they still grabbed us and told us they were going to do one worse than torture us they were going to torture our families too and I couldn't do anything they had grabbed us and were dragging us upstairs and I… I… I…" Teddy sobbed. Harry took his adopted son into his arms and soothed him.

"It sounds like you did everything you could, Teddy," I reassured, "You didn't nothing wrong."

The battle raged on below and I knew our backup had arrived. It sounded like it was quieting; I felt confident that we had taken back the castle.

We took the children and lead them down the stairs and out of the castle, the battle finally quieting behind us. Emralda assured me we had won, with no casualties on our side whatsoever.

"Victoire, I'm going to bring you home. Teddy, go home with Harry," I murmured softly, "Maggie, Nate, Alice, I'll see you at home."

Maggie nodded and took Nate's hand in hers and Alice's in the other.

"I'm going home," Jethro sighed. He looked old. I watched him for a moment and nodded.

He apparated in that moment and disappeared. Harry took Teddy's hand and they did the same. I apparated with Victoire and appeared at Bill and Fleur's.

Bill ran outside, looking harried and terrified as he pulled Victoire into his arms.

"What happened?" he demanded, "What happened?"

"Victoire and Alice were raped," I murmured, "Teddy and Nate were tortured."

Fleur let out a scream behind in the doorway. Bill picked up Victoire, who looked like she couldn't walk anymore, and carried her into the house. I followed inside to collect my children, putting all six in the giant carrier, and nodding grimly at the Weasleys. Bill nodded at me, his eyes thanking me for rescuing his daughter. Fleur hugged me as I apparated back home.

I walked inside, sighing, and brought the babies up to my room, putting each in their crib. They were all so peaceful and asleep.

I entered Nate and Alice's room. Nate was in the shower and Maggie had Alice curled up in her lap, brushing her hair and soothing her softly.

"Sing me a song, mum," Alice asked quietly.

"Which song, sweetheart?" Maggie murmured.

"Whatever one," Alice begged, "Like I'm a kid again."

"Alright," Maggie nodded, "Get under the covers."

She did so, curling in the comforter that her mother had wrapped around her, hugging an old stuffed animal (a dragon) to her chest. Maggie sat in a chair next to her, gently smoothing the hair from her face. I walked in and sat at the foot of her bed.

"Remember when we went to see the Hunger Games and how obsessed you became?" Maggie continued, smiling slightly at her daughter.

"I don't see how thinking about a bunch of kids killing each other is going to help me here, mum-" Alice sighed.

"But then we bought the soundtrack. Well, your father bought it for us over your Easter break. And we all listened to those songs over and over and over again," Maggie continued.

"Yeah," Alice smiled a little. I rubbed her feet gently and she smiled a watery smile at me.

"Well, that's this song. I feel it fits," Maggie assured. She then began singing. She didn't sing often, but I loved it whenever she did.

"_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said 'I'll never let you go,' When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said, 'Don't leave me here alone,' but all that's dead and gone and passed tonight," _Maggie began, very softly.

Alice began crying and Maggie wiped the tears from her cheeks. I knew the song and I went to stand by Maggie, holding to her shoulders as I joined in with, "_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound." _

Alice continued to sob as Nate came in. Nate stood by me and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder.

"_Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire,_" Maggie continued, and I had stopped singing. Nate joined in then, singing with her mother, "_The war outside our door keeps raging on. Hold on to this lullaby, even when the music's gone_."

"_Gone_," I sang a second time, as Nate held his sister's hand.

"_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound_," all three of us sang together. Alice looked like she was about to fall asleep now.

Nate and I stopped singing as Maggie finished, "_Just close your eyes, you'll be alright. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound,_" and she continued to hum until Alice had finally fallen asleep.

She kissed her daughters' forehead as Nate left to go crawl into bed himself.

"Do you want to stay here?" I asked Maggie. She nodded, tears streaming down her own face now. I went out and brought her a blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders. I then grabbed a baby monitor and a sleeping bag and kipped out on the floor next to Maggie and Alice.

My dreams that night were filled with the sound of my family screaming. I woke up bathed in sweat in the middle of the night and had to go around to my wife and all eight of my children just to make sure they were there, and alive.

Over the next few weeks, my children and their friends didn't return to school, by permission of the headmaster. Instead they spent their time at our house, doing things to keep their hands occupied and meeting with psychological Healers to discuss what happened. Alice reacted differently than Maggie had- instead of sealing away the world she was frantic to try and get it to go back to the way it had been. Nate reacted similarly to Maggie- he barely talked, but he did respond to the world, helping clean up and shuffling around the house. Victoire, when she came by (and that was often,) was putting on an aura of strength, though when I caught her alone I found her with her face in her hands and her body wracked with sobs. Teddy was clearly trying to be the therapist, going around to each of his friends and trying to make them feel better.

I came home one evening, stressed and tired. The students hadn't recovered from the emotional trauma and exams were essentially out of the question. All the teachers were feeling lost about the situation.

I entered the living room and saw Alice sitting next to the fire. She was watching it, but seemed to be spacing out, staring out into the flames blankly. I was about to enter the room and talk to her when Teddy came in from the other entrance, sitting next to her and handing her a cocoa.

"Thanks," she murmured softly.

"Do you want to talk about it today, or ignore it?" Teddy asked calmly.

"I don't really feel like talking," Alice sighed, "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry- you have to move along at your own pace," Teddy assured. They sat together by the fire quietly. Teddy's hair was a natural color for once- a light brown. I watched silently from the doorway.

"Teddy…" Alice began quietly.

"Yeah Alice?" he answered immediately.

"How long do you think this will go on?" Alice murmured.

Teddy took a long time to answer, simply staring at his fingernails plaintively.

"As long as it takes for that Elisha woman to come forth and allow herself to be in harm's way. When that happens, the four of them will finally attack and get her," Teddy sighed.

"I just… I'm so sick of being in constant danger," Alice explained.

"I understand, and empathize. Trust me. I just can't tell you when it'll end because who really knows at this point," Teddy reached out and gently held her wrist. I watched, fascinated, from the doorway.

"Thanks Ted," Alice sighed, leaning over and hugging him. I wanted to cough and enter the room, but I fought the protective instinct and I walked over to my room.

Maggie was there, bouncing a child on her hip. She looked up and saw me and smiled.

"Hey Nev," she greeted as I walked over and kissed her.

"The Healer's appointment is tomorrow?" I asked softly. She nodded sadly.

"He's not a year old yet, but he's close enough that you can actually tell by magic," Maggie sighed, "I'm so worried- if we can tell when he's this young…"

"That means we're catching it early and working hard to help him," I assured, "Don't worry, sweetheart. We can do this."

Maggie nodded and kissed me gently before putting down the child she was holding into his crib. I hugged her and she held my hand, leading me towards our bed.

"Wait- Teddy and Alice are downstairs," I whispered softly.

"Do you honestly think they'll be listening to us right now?" Maggie sighed, "The way they've been acting?"

"You have a point," I acknowledged, holding her closer to me.

The next day we headed down to St. Mungo's with Seamus. And it was confirmed- our child had autism. But we immediately signed him up for therapy, a private magic tutor, and everything that was needed to help him adjust to life.

A few more months passed without much incident, though Maggie reported often walking in on Jethro and Elena in the other house fighting.

"I worry about them," Maggie joked as we waited for Seamus to finish his therapy session.

But when I walked in the house later to pick up Peggy from Kylie, having offered to babysit, I heard the fighting for myself.

"You left the dishes in the sink again! For the love of God, can you do _nothing_ right?" Elena screeched.

"Sorry I was raised in a muggle household! We let dishes soak! For at least five minutes!" Jethro roared in response. I stood by the doorway to the kitchen, trying to not laugh.

"Ooh right, you had a _poor muggle family_ with those parents who just didn't _accept_ you and really didn't accept your poor _brother_ and you had to live on your own and some chick you banged killed your family and boo hoo, boo hoo," Elena mocked.

"Yeah and your life is so terrible, you got tortured for a little while and lost your _friend_ and missed your _sister_ and had to go into hiding and yadda yadda yadda," Jethro retorted.

I smiled slightly. They did sound like broken records some time.

"You're just terrified of putting emotional investment in others after your brother, Elisha, and Maggie," Elena snapped.

"That's right, I am, and I have reason to be. You're just as terrified of the same thing after Calliope and Maggie and the fact that no man at that refugee camp has kept in touch with you since you've left therapy," Jethro sneered.

I grimaced. Talk about low blows.

"I'm the one that… said it… in the first place. Half a freaking _year_ ago."

"Jethro, that was after your fight with Maggie. Of course you did."

"Well I still haven't changed my mind."

"Then why did you say no when I proposed it?"

"Because you were drunk."

"Well I'm sober now."

"No marijuana either?"

"Dude, that was you."

There was then silence. It terrified me and I peeked around the corner, right before jumping back in shock.

Jethro and Elena were making out against the counter.

I did what I had to do. I ran out of the house before I felt like throwing up. After all, the impossible had happened.

AN: Dude, guys, two reviews. It's been over a month. Is it really that hard to review? Just two more? So I'm giving you a second chance. There won't be another one of these. I have a lot of work to do and a lot of writer's block when I'm not getting feedback. I'm not even kidding. I will not update. You will not know the ending. I don't need to finish this story I have other stories to write and classes to study for.

Thanks to Oh-Holy-Ruler-Mika-chan and TA-twinArmageddons for reviewing, and I feel bad that you have to suffer for the follies of others.

Sorry this chapter was so short. Again, writer's block due to lack of encouragement.

It takes two seconds. It really isn't hard.

Four reviews.


	50. Ch 13: Plotting

Ch. 13 Plotting

_Block the entrances, close the doors  
Seal the exits 'cause this is war  
All gave some, some gave all  
But for what I wanna know_

_Carry on, don't mind me  
All I gave was everything  
And yet you ask me for more  
Fought your fight  
Bought your lies  
In return I lost my life  
What purpose does this serve?  
What purpose did I serve?  
_~Survivor Guilt by Rise Against

I ran back to the house and entered to find Maggie reading at the kitchen table. She seemed extraordinarily calm, and I felt guilty for what I was about to tell her in the end.

"Uh, Maggie…" I sighed, walking p and sitting at the table, holding her hand across from it.

"Uh, Neville," she laughed, looking up from her book, "You seem to have forgotten something. Namely, a child."

"Uh… well… the thing about that is… when I got to the house I… well I walked into the kitchen and… Well, Jethro and Elena were arguing, as usual," I was having a lot of trouble breaking the news to her.

"Of course. What's so important about that that you had to rush home to tell me?" Maggie laughed. I swallowed and in the pause she continued, "I mean, they've been arguing more and more lately by my reckoning. It's sad, I actually thought they were doing better. Ah well."

"Well… in the course of the argument… they made references to having told each other something… and then they stopped fighting," I sighed, "Oh, and Jethro might have a mary jane stash ."

"I kind of new that already, it's how he copes," Maggie sighed, "Alright, so they stopped fighting. What's the news flash in this?"

"Well, when I looked to see why they had stopped fighting… They were… ah… kissing on the kitchen counter," I spat out all at once.

"What?" Maggie gasped, "You're joshing me."

"No, I swear to God I'm not," I sighed, "I saw it with my own eyes."

"Wow. Just… I really didn't expect it. At all," Maggie frowned, "Wait… I take that back."

"You did? Cause I definitely didn't," I replied, grimacing, "I really didn't need that image."

"Yeah… I mean when Jethro and I talked he explained that he was getting over me and had fallen for someone else that he claimed would never fall for him in return, I had my suspicions. And when Elena said she was starting to not mind Jethro as much I also had my suspicions. And they sort of make sense together… I mean apart from the his capturing her and bringing her to her torture chamber, they have a lot in common, a lot of things that could bring them together at the very least," Maggie shrugged.

I frowned at her, "You're taking this very calmly."

"Well, it can only be a good thing. As long as they don't rush into mating or anything," Maggie paused.

"What, you mean like we did?" I joked, nudging her elbow affectionately.

"Oh shush, we're different. We're meant to be," Maggie laughed, "Literally. But they aren't- at least in the same way. But I think it could work if they aren't both stupid."

I chuckled softly, "Alright, if you're OK with this."

"I am. Now are you such a chicken that you can't go back there to pick up Peggy and I have to?" she frowned playfully at me.

"I'll go, I'll go," I laughed, getting up and leaving the house again.

I walked back over to the small house, entering in through the front door. I still couldn't hear any conversation. I walked upstairs to Kylie and Richard's room, where they were both waiting, clearly anxiously.

"Where've you been? We thought we heard you come in earlier," Kylie sighed, handing me the baby.

"Sorry, I forgot something and had to double back. You won't be too late?" I asked hopefully.

"No, our reservation isn't for another hour. Thanks Neville," Richard responded, and the two apparated away. I went downstairs, frowning at the still lack of communication I could hear. Were they still snogging?

_They must have talked at some point_, I thought calmly as I walked by the kitchen, just to snoop. No one was inside.

I frowned even more and walked through the hallway, to Elena's room at the end of it. It was empty.

I looked down at Peggy, "We have a mystery on our hands, don't we?"

The tanned baby cooed at me and I walked down to the basement. Jethro's room was in the back, but as I walked towards it I started hearing sounds.

"This is probably a mistake," Elena whispered, very softly.

"I don't think so," Jethro responded earnestly.

"Jethro, I'm not saying not in the future, but I think we should think about it more."

"Alright, alright. Then why did you come down here with me then?"

"Because I want to."

"Self-control? _You_?"

"You know what I went through at that horrific place."

"I know, I'm sorry."

There was a long pause.

"I've really fallen for you, you know."

"I've fallen for you, too. That's why this is even a possibility to discuss."

Another pause. I swallowed and crept closer towards the door.

"I've just been so disappointed so much lately I'm worried. I'm worried that I won't be good enough for you, like with everyone else."

"You know that's not true, Jethro-"

"That's how it's felt most of the time. All the time with my family and with the Unionists. Some of the time with you all."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry my sister could never have really loved you like that."

"The sad part is she could have, in a different universe. But it's alright, it really is now."

"I can tell, Jethro. Seriously. I wouldn't be having this conversation with you yet if I couldn't."

"You know what would be great, Elena?"

"Yeah?"

"If, through both of our epic screwed-up-ness canceling each other out, we managed to become functional human beings."

She laughed loudly, "Jethro, I couldn't agree more."

There was silence again, for a long time. Well, not completely. There were small little noises for a while. I was about to turn around and just go home- Peggy had fallen asleep at this point- when they started talking again.

"Jethro," Elena gasped, in an extremely breathless voice.

"Elena," he replied equally breathlessly, making me feel extraordinarily uncomfortable.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm suddenly positive, but that's only if you are. I promise."

"I love you, Jethro. I never thought I could."

"I love you too, and I never thought that as well. That I could move on, that you could, that we'd be having this conversation."

There was another pause before Elena gasped, "Oh, go on then."

I walked back to the house with wide eyes, walking in to Maggie still reading at the kitchen table as before.

"How'd it go? You were there an eon," she said, not looking up from her book, "And we're taking pre-Cambrian eons here."

I laughed, "Well… I was eavesdropping actually."

"Oh dear. Elena and Jethro still?" Maggie asked casually as I sat down next to her at the table, reaching across to gently stroke her arm.

"Yes," I laughed, "They were having an intense conversation still, but this time in… well… Jethro's bedroom, actually."

"You weren't just eavesdropping, you were snooping!" Maggie laughed, "He lives in the basement, which is separated from Kylie and Richard's suite by two floors if I remember."

"Well, yes, I was curious of course," I rolled my eyes, "Any who… well… they told each other they loved each other, so this definitely wasn't a one-off occasion."

"Oh dear, and they were in his bedroom?" Maggie frowned, "Do you think they were going to…"

"They discussed it, but they seemed to rule it out. I also left when I think they were making out a lot. So it's not a definite yes or no," I sighed, "Sorry Mags."

"Ah well. I'm sure we'll be told what happened when they are comfortable with displaying the news," Maggie shrugged, "I don't really want to worry about that right now."

"More important things to worry over?" I smiled.

"Much more important things to worry over," she laughed.

The next day, Maggie and I went back over to the other house to drop off Peggy to Richard and Kylie. Inside the house, we ran into Elena and Jethro, holding hands in the hallway.

"Maggie, we have an announcement," Elena began, taking a deep breath.

"Oh I know. You guys hooked up," Maggie shrugged.

"You knew?" Jethro frowned, looking apologetic.

"Neville overheard you yesterday. Don't worry, I'm totally fine with it," Maggie laughed. I smiled a little, not overtly, but I couldn't hold it in. This was the first time I was absolutely confident she was over him.

"Did you two…" I paused awkwardly.

"What?" Elena sighed.

"Y' know. Mate."

"Uh…" Jethro choked, "We… might have."

"You did or you didn't," Maggie sighed, looking a little annoyed now, but probably just because they rushed into it.

"Well, I am apparently not the judge as to whether or not I'm actually in love, am I?" Jethro sighed irritably.

"I think we mated," Elena whispered.

"I hope we did. At any rate, there isn't any evidence to the contrary. I know it seems like we rushed it…" Jethro began.

"We did too, I have no right to judge you on that," Maggie shrugged.

"Yeah, but you two are written into the fabric of the universe or some such nonsense," Elena smiled.

"Well, we didn't know that at the time, did we? And on top of all that, we were teenagers, too. At least you two are adults," Maggie rolled her eyes, "I think we're on even footing here."

"Thanks," Elena whispered.

"Well, we better deliver Peggy," I grinned, leading Maggie up the stairs. She smiled reassuringly at me.

"There are pairings that make less sense in the world," I muttered jovially.

"They actually make a shitload of sense, which is funny, because less than ten years ago I would have thought you were crazy if you told me this. Hell, less than a year ago I would have thought you mad," Maggie grinned back at me as we reached Kylie and Richard's room, delivering Peggy back to them.

When we got back to the house, we couldn't hear voices from inside, though Alice and Nate were supposed to be babysitting. I frowned at Maggie who gave me a similar look in return. We walked inside and went immediately upstairs to the sixtuplet's room, which we had officially moved them to from our own. On the long wall there were three cribs based on the ground and three lofted cribs above, each lined up with each other. Toys and stuffed animals were scattered about the room. Nate was sitting against the wall, reading a book quietly.

"Hey Nate," I greeted cheerfully, "Everything alright here?"

"Yeah," Nate nodded, "Just catching up on some reading. It was nice not having to do exams, but I don't want to be out of my league next year."

"Good for you, Nate," Maggie smiled, "Where's your sister?"

"Downstairs. She ditched me," Nate shrugged, "But I didn't mind, the kids are being quiet and napping and such."

"Why'd she ditch you? She usually loves playing with the kids," I asked, concerned.

"Teddy came round," Nate explained, "Sorry for that."

"Ah, it's OK," Maggie reassured, "I never mind when Teddy comes round. He can get through to her more than the rest of us."

"Which is surprising, since you've actually gone through what she has," Nate muttered.

"It actually isn't surprising much," I chuckled softly. Nate frowned at me and I shrugged.

"There _is_ something to be said for your best friend comforting you, son," I continued. Maggie nodded in agreement.

"You were definitely a huge help when I was going through this, I'll admit. It's less about complete empathy and more about just being reassured you are still a good, valued, and loved person," she explained.

"Are you saying Teddy and Alice are like you guys?" Nate asked in confusion.

Maggie coughed softly and I smiled, "Well, they're certainly best friends, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Nate frowned, "I'm just confused because you two were always, you know, secretly in l-"

"I'll go check on them and make sure they're alright down there," I interjected, kissing Maggie on the cheek before walking downstairs. I could see from the hallway that the two of them were sitting on the couch, and was fairly amused by the fact that Teddy's arm was around Alice's shoulder. They really were a miniature, younger version of me and Maggie. Alice looked like she had been crying, which broke my heart, but her eyes were closed now and she seemed to be napping there.

Teddy looked up and saw me and his eyes grew amazingly wide. I simply smirked at him and retreated backwards into the hallway.

I could hear him stirring- that couch had always been squeaky- and trying to stand up.

"What's going on?" Alice asked him sleepily.

"I just saw your dad, I think he wants to talk to me," Teddy answered calmly. I was surprised, even, by the calmness of his voice.

"Ah, I can go-"

"No, I think it's me he wants to speak to. Don't worry about it," Teddy reassured. I could hear him coming into the hallway.

Before he could say anything I gently took him down to the basement, just so Alice wouldn't have to hear and be embarrassed. When we reached the basement he immediately opened his mouth.

"It isn't what it looks like, sir-"

"I wouldn't be upset if it was," I shrugged, "And clearly, you're thinking that one day it could be what it looked like, am I right?"

Teddy looked at me and sighed. His hair was a dark brown today. "Yes, sir."

"Don't worry yourself. I couldn't imagine anyone better for my daughter. The care and understanding you've shown her since… that awful day… is heartwarming. I'm not joking when I say you have my blessing," I reassured.

Teddy flushed slightly before mumbling, "I don't think _she's _quite there yet, sir."

"I understand. You both are very young, as well. Just take care of her," I nodded, "Even now. Be who she needs you to be, whether it's just her best friend or… more. Sorry, I _am_ still her father, and it's awkward for me to speak of her boyfriends and such," I rolled my eyes.

"Of course, sir," Teddy stammered.

"On a similar note, if you _do_ get together, _please_ don't mate until she's of age. I'm not even being a hypocrite, both I and Alice's mother were of age at the time. That's all I ask," I demanded.

Teddy flushed even redder, "I really wasn't thinking about that yet, sir. Right now I just want her to develop feelings for me."

"Well, I think she _has_ developed feelings for you, she just doesn't realize what it is yet, because she's been through a lot, you're both still young, and she's probably scared of it too. Just be patient," I reassured.

Teddy smiled awkwardly, "Thanks, Uncle Neville."

"Hey, no problem. I mean it when I say there's no one I think better for her," I patted him on the shoulder, "You can go upstairs now."

"What do I say to her?" Teddy sighed.

"Just say I was talking to you about school or something, you're clever. You'll figure it out," I grinned.

"Seriously, sir?" Teddy groaned.

"As the father of your potential beau, embarrassing you _is_ my right," I chuckled.

"Aren't you supposed to embarrass Alice?" Teddy begged.

I grinned as I walked up the stairs, "Well, since I know the two of you very well… I'd say I have to embarrass the both of you. Have fun!"

Teddy let out another groan and I laughed as I went upstairs to the sextuplet room.

The next few weeks went by without much incident, in fact the next few months of summer went by without incident. On the first of September, the sixtuplets had their first birthday (it seemed so strange that they were only a year old, so much had happened in that year,) and Alice, Teddy, Nate and Victoire finally returned to school. Jethro and Elena went out and got their own house, convinced after three months together that they were a mated pair. Elena, in true form to her sister, didn't think marriage was necessary, and Jethro didn't really think so either.

"It suits them, I think," Maggie commented as she watched me tend the garden outside the house, "Being together without getting married. They are the definition of an unorthodox couple."

"There is something to be said with that," I agreed calmly.

After that, nothing much happened again until the Christmas holidays. The Unionists were laying low after they realized that they couldn't take Hogwarts easily, meaning they probably couldn't take the UK easily either. Not to mention, the shame of losing to basically four people probably got whoever was still around at the end of it in major trouble.

The kids were now all conscious of their surroundings enough to be truly joyful at Christmas. They eagerly ripped the paper off of their presents and, which I consider miraculously, calmly shared with each other. Alice and Nate were genuinely happy, something that I wasn't expecting so soon but was pleasantly surprised by.

"So mum, dad," Alice started as I came into the family room with a cup of coffee for Maggie.

"Yes dear?" Maggie answered before shouting, "No, Minerva, that toy's for Seamus." The baby girl dropped it and turned to cuddle with a teddy bear.

"Well, I have some news, and I figured I'd announce it before Aunt Elena, Uncle Jethro and Uncle Wilfric show up this afternoon, and definitely before we go off to Grandpop Weasley's house for dinner," Alice continued. Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet and even shy.

"Alright sweetheart, what is it?" Maggie asked, a slight bit more impatient now.

"Oh just spit it out sis," Nate rolled his eyes, "They're expecting it, anyways."

"They are?" Alice gasped.

"They've known it was coming since May. Just go," Nate demanded.

"Alice…" I sighed.

"Teddy and I are a couple now," Alice finally blurted out.

Maggie and I grinned at each other before I responded, "Well, I can't say I'm surprised sweetheart."

"Really, it's about time," Maggie agreed.

Alice harrumphed and sat back in the couch in a huff.

"But congratulations, sweetheart. I'm glad. You're happy, right?" I continued more kindly.

She blushed furiously as she answered, "Very."

That afternoon, Elena and Jethro and Wilfric came by to open up more presents and have tea with us. This was our usual tradition; Elena came by for every holiday but Wilfric spent most of his with his adoptive family, coming for Christmas tea and dinner after spending the morning with them. We barely saw him outside of Hogwarts due to this, though he and Maggie and he and Elena wrote frequent letters. Jethro was a new addition to our party, simply because he was part of the immediate family now. The extended family- The Weasleys- were for dinner time.

Jethro spoiled the twins, and the sixtuplets, as was expected. Wilfric chatted jovially with Nate, whom he got along best with. Elena simply enjoyed sitting back and drinking her tea calmly.

"The largeness of this British family you've collected is astounding, Maggie," Elena commented lightly.

"Well, it certainly doesn't help that I have to have at least two children at a time," Maggie agreed, "But the Weasleys are my family, regardless of the fact that I'm only related to two of the in-laws and not any of the actual Weasleys."

"I'm not criticizing; I love the Weasley Christmas dinner," Elena agreed, "I just can't believe you've managed to accumulate such a group."

"Well, we'd better head out, shouldn't we?" Wilfric interjected, "Grandmum Weasley likes help with the dinner."

"She does that," Maggie agreed, "You'll all help with the sixtuplets? With us all here one of us won't even have to carry a child."

"Well, Nate and Alice can't apparate on their own yet, so I think it would be better if you took the two-baby carrier and we each held to their hands," I argued.

"Fine, fine. It's probably still too early to Floo anyway," Maggie consented.

We reached the Burrow, which I had actually helped Arthur expand a few years back, around when we discovered we were expecting the sixtuplets. Even though none of his children lived there anymore, he realized that the family gatherings would become extreme and the house simply wouldn't fit all his grandchildren and extended relatives.

"Hello! The Longbottoms, Johnsons and Snape are here," Maggie called out jovially as we entered the cozy structure.

Little Lily Potter then appeared and ran out cheerfully to hug Alice, who was without a doubt her favorite cousin.

"Hi Alice! Hi Alice! I got a new toy broom, wanna see? Of course you wanna see, let's go, come on Alice!" Lily grabbed her hand and led her out to the backyard.

"Hi cousin," Harry laughed, entering the room, "Sorry about that. Her mum gave her too much sugar this morning."

"I heard that!" Ginny's voice called from another room.

"It's true though," Harry whispered before giving Maggie and Elena each a hug. Nate had run off then, having spotted James Potter in the distance.

"You're the second group here, the rest are still on their way," Harry explained as we filed in the family room.

"They're always late," Maggie laughed. I grinned in agreement.

Eventually, however, everyone showed up. Teddy, who had been spending Christmas with Harry and his family, was sitting semi-awkwardly, semi-comfortably with Alice. They were clearly still getting used to the idea of being thought of as a couple, though when Alice's back was turned I gave Teddy a small, encouraging nod.

As we all sat around the table and celebrated together, the wireless was turned off and we didn't think we had to have it on. Crackers were broken, and I was truly amazed by the large family I had gathered around myself.

When it got to be pretty late, however, an owl appeared at the windowsill. Arthur Weasley went up to get the note attached to the owl. As he read it, however, his eyes widened.

"Everyone, everyone," Arthur gasped, "It's started."

"What has?" Maggie demanded immediately.

"They're attacking London. The Unionists. All of us- well, all the Ministry workers, the adults really I suppose- need to get to London immediately to help fortify the city."

"What about the kids?" Jethro demanded.

"Wilfric and I can watch them, and of course Alice, Nate, Teddy and Victoire can help," Molly sighed, "Just go. You're all needed."

"We'll stay behind," Bill pointed to himself and Fluer, "In case they come to the house."

"I'll stay to help too," Charlie agreed.

Thus myself, Maggie, Arthur, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Jethro, Elena, George, Angelina, Percy and Audrey apparated out to the Ministry, where we immediately headed up to Kingsley's office.

"We need to fortify the city. Our squads of Riders are holding them off for now but we need to set up a defense," Kingsely explained.

"We can't build a wall around the city, that would take too long even with magic," Harry protested.

"Well what other kind of defense could we make up?" Audrey snapped. She was kind, but stern, which made her Percy's perfect match in the end. She reminded me somewhat of McGonagall.

"We could put up a forcefield like with Hogwarts," Ron suggested.

"Oh Ronald, that works for a place like Hogwarts but we're talking the whole of London here. We won't be able to generate one big enough," Hermione snapped. Harry somehow managed a chuckle at the exchange.

"What if we… I dunno… Use the ocean?" Maggie suggested.

Everyone looked at her like she was mental; I'm not proud, I joined in.

"No I'm serious. Erect a large water wall. It won't require much magic; just Windgardium Leviosa. But make it thick enough that you can't just walk through it, and high enough that dragons can't fly over it," Maggie explained.

"Couldn't a dragon just speed through it? Or a Unionist just apparate through?" Ginny sighed.

"A dragon couldn't fly through; they would lose a lot of their energy- a dragon's one real weakness is extended exposure to water. Even if a dragon flew through incredibly fast they'd still lose the same amount of energy as if they had taken their time. And any Rider would have the same problem," Jethro gasped, catching on.

"Really, only non-rider Unionists would be able to apparate through, but they won't be using them- all the people on their side would have been forced to Bond, this is too dangerous," Maggie finished.

At that moment, the door flew open and a group of people ran in, headed by Draco Malfoy.

"Sorry I'm late…" Draco began before abruptly stopping after seeing who the room consisted of.

"Awkward," Seamus sang as he walked inside the room. Lavendar, Dean, Parvati, Kylie, Richard, Ezra, Kita, and basically the entirety of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army followed behind him.

"Mr. Malfoy and his wife are welcome here same as anyone," Kingsley stated firmly. Sure enough, Astoria Greengrass, whom I only recognized a little, followed behind.

"But I think it's a good plan, now that I actually think through logistics," Jethro mused.

"Based on what I know… I agree," Hermione sighed.

"I will admit I am more adverse to water now than I used to be," I agreed. Maggie beamed.

"So it's settled then… I suppose we'll have to drain the Themes," Harry laughed.

"We've done stranger things," Ron pointed out.

Maggie looked around at the large group, "It's now or never, folks. After the last fiasco, I have no doubt in my mind that Elisha will finally enter the fray herself, if only to make sure the four of us," she pointed to me, Harry, and Jethro, "Are killed. We've got to do it. We've got to end it."

Everyone nodded grimly, and we left the office. I summoned, without care in the world for the Statute of Secrecy (it was all going to hell anyway,) my sword, as Jethro did with his bow.

I muttered, for the first time in my life, a silent prayer. I could only hope to get out of this one alive and with Maggie still alive with me.

AN: Well, I got five reviews- though three of them were from an Anonymous reviewer. It's OK, I still got them, and if it's the same person and they just went to the trouble of reviewing three times, I'll still count it haha. I really appreciate the reviews guys, I seriously do need them to continue with this. I have a lot of hard classes I'm trying to prepare for, and a lot to do before going back to school.

So thanks to TA-twinArmageddons, my three Anonymous reviewers, and Brigadier (whose name, as a Whovian, I deeply appreciate.) Please review again guys; I won't update until I get four reviews. And I am still serious about it. Threatening still seems to be the only way to get reviews, as sad as it is.

In other news, I really like the idea of writing a new series, the universe in which Maggie's family is British and Harry is raised with them. I'm actually developing some good plotlines for it, though it definitely won't cover everything that happens in the books. I simply don't have time for that! But if you're interested let me know.

Once again, review!


	51. Ch 14: Water Wall

Ch. 14 Water Wall

_The city lines are down  
The kerosene's run out  
The fracturing of all we relied upon  
Let's shed this unclean skin  
And start to feel again  
Cause all the shoulders on which to cry are gone_

~Endgame by Rise Against

I followed Maggie out to the edge of the city as we helped to erect the water wall. She looked tired already as we raised it up, up over our heads. Everyone we cared about was around us, and I felt terrified as I had before the Battle of Hogwarts.

The wall continued to rise up and over the entire city, creating a dome of elevated water above London. I briefly wondered what the muggles could possibly be thinking, wondering if the Statute of Secrecy could ever be repaired. When it was finally okay to stop, Kingsley signaled to all of us and I lowered my wand.

Maggie looked over at me for a moment before rushing into my arms, holding tightly to me.

"I don't want to lose you," Maggie sobbed into my chest, "Please don't let me lose you. Not again. Never."

"I promise," I whispered, "To the best of my ability. And you know I can't promise more than that so don't make me."

"Alright," Maggie was shaking in my arms and I held her tighter.

"I promise too," she mumbled, "I promise to not let you lose me to the best of my ability."

"That's all I ask," I responded, holding her now as tightly as I could. The water wall was steadfastly over us, quite a few feet thick all around and swirling madly. I could see over Maggie's head the bits of debris and chemical waste swirling around, along with some rather unsuspecting fish.

"I love you," she continued to cry, looking up at me with flooded eyes. I wiped the water away from them, as we already had enough water with us in my opinion.

"I love you too," I responded, massaging her back and kissing her briefly. We stood there like that for a long moment, just holding to each other.

"Erm…" I heard a voice call out from behind me. I, still holding Maggie by the waist, turned to face none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Maggie, Neville," he seemed to have been trying to settle on a name to call us. We nodded at him stiffly.

"I was just coming over here to apologize to the way I treated you," he looked at me for longer than Maggie but turned to her, saying, "Both of you."

We waited, silently, for him to continue.

"For teasing you, and bullying you for all of our school years. And for attacking you at Hogwarts and causing a lot of pain to you both that last year," he continued, as if he had to clarify, "I'm sorry."

I sighed, taking a deep breath, "Well, I can't say anything for Maggie, but… I forgive you, Draco. You've clearly grown and matured enough to the point where you've moved on and realized your mistakes. I can't say the same for some of your friends."

"He was a right fowl git, I know that now. What the Carrows did to Maggie was reprehensible and I don't know why they would inflict that same punishment on your kids, for Merlin's sake," Draco looked embarrassed, as if he had confessed a great sin.

"You're allowed to be a good bloke, Malfoy," I smiled thinly. He returned the expression.

There was a long pause where Maggie and Malfoy just looked at each other before she finally sighed and said, "Alright, I forgive you too. Sorry, I'm not much of the forgiving type, and even though you didn't even do that much to me, I still remember what you did to Neville, even when I wasn't around. But Neville's right. You've grown. So I forgive you."

Draco smiled even more now.

"Don't push it," Maggie said, but she smiled in response.

"Alright, well I better get back to Astoria. I dunno if you've met her Maggie, she was a Ravenclaw in our year," Draco paused, "I'll see you later."

"Bye," we both smiled thinly as he left. I looked down at her and she laughed slightly.

"Didn't see that one coming. I expect he's making the apology rounds. But it's nice, I'm glad he's doing it," Maggie sighed softly.

"Me too," I held onto her tightly again, "Man, I don't want to deal with this situation."

I looked over and saw the group of our friends and acquaintances run up to join our side. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Kylie, Elena, Richard, Ezra, Seamus, Lavender, Dean, Cho Chang, Parvati, George, Angelina, Padma, Kita, Jethro, Draco, and others- Percy and Audrey, Kingsley, many Aurors, and basically everyone who fought in the battle of Hogwarts came to stand with us in front of the wall.

I turned from Maggie and held tightly to her hand. Jethro and Harry came to stand with us. Jethro had his bow up in front of him with a grim smile and Harry smiled in a weak manner at us.

"Ready guys?" Harry asked calmly.

"Ready," Maggie and I answered in unison. She put out her hand and I pulled out my sword.

The dragons came then, and in droves. Ours were safely on our side, but the Unionist dragons came pelting in, attacking the water wall. They were, as Maggie predicted, unable to penetrate it- they bounced and crashed into it, falling to the ground or zooming through the air.

The sky was filled with the sounds of the crashing and the angry roars of the frustrated creatures. I could hear people shouting on both sides as muggles began to screaming and run about and the Unionists roared, running through the wall to try and gain entry but being unable to last long enough to do so. Some even died inside of it.

Maggie held very tightly to my hand during the whole ordeal, clearly terrified of their getting through. I squeezed her hand in response and reassurance.

Many Hogwarts teachers appeared- McGonagall, Flitwick, Hagrid, Vector, even Sprout made an appearance making me smile at her. The dragons had eventually stopped trying to get through, making Maggie's grip on my hand loosen somewhat.

"They'll try and get through another way," Hermione shouted, "They won't give up now."

"Definitely not," Maggie paused, "But at least we've slowed them down."

There was a long pause as we all stood there. Maggie looked up at me with tired eyes.

"I dreamed of this, you know," she murmured softly as Harry rose up more water into the wall.

"Really?" I asked calmly, frowning down at her.

"Yeah. I dreamt of this back when the Unionists were just getting started. I dreamt of a huge water wall around a city just like London, and all of us standing here and trying to keep it up," Maggie continued, looking pensive.

"Well, as weird as that is, it doesn't change much of what's happening does it?" I asked calmly.

"No," Maggie paused, "Now I just wish it had told me the outcome, but it was a short dream."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, love," I kissed the top of her head, "We just have to deal with it when we can."

Suddenly we could hear new, more directed shouts coming towards us- familiar shouts. We all turned around to see basically the entire student body of Hogwarts from year 4 on running towards us, but at the head of the pack were one fourth year and three third years- our kids.

"What are you doing here?" I shouted in amazement.

"Get back to where it's safe, now, that's an order!" Maggie roared.

"No, mum," Alice snapped in response, coming up to us with Teddy, Nate, and Victoire.

"You're mad. All my children are mad," Maggie sighed in amazement.

"We're not mad," Nate paused, "We just can't sit idly by while everyone we love is in danger and the people who hurt us try and take over our home."

"We have as much a part in this as you do," Teddy explained, "We have just as much emotional investment. We need to fight, same as you."

"When Uncle Harry faced the basilisk in the chamber of secrets he was younger than us. When he, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron faced Quirrell and a three-headed dog and everything else off the third floor they were younger than us. When Harry cast his first patronus he was our age. We can fight, we can help, and we can't _not_," Victoire begged.

"I will point out that he was my age when he entered the Triwizard Tournament. Granted, not by choice, but still," Teddy finished.

I looked over at Maggie, who was still clearly furious.

"We can't send them back now, I don't even know how they got in," I sighed, defeated.

"Just… don't get into too much danger you four," Maggie snapped, "If we get out of this, you're in big trouble, I hope you know."

"We'll all be too happy to be alive to care," Alice muttered, but Teddy dragged her back with the others.

"I can't believe them," Maggie muttered as we watched the water wall get continuously battered with magic now.

"Wouldn't you have done the same? Didn't we do similarly idiotic things in our youth?" I sighed, "I don't like it but I can't condemn them either."

"Fair enough," Maggie admitted, "I just want this to be done with."

"Elisha will be in this battle," Jethro sighed from next to us, "I can feel it. She wants us gone and she, by now, will realize she's the only one who has a chance to stop us."

"No chance, more like, but I agree," Maggie muttered.

Suddenly, a spell burst forth through the water and between me and Maggie as we jumped apart on reflex. We both looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Alright," Kingsley roared, "Time's up. Everyone get ready."

Maggie braced herself, leaning forward, palm and wand out. I was upset we were no longer touching, but I supposed it wasn't practical to continue with that. I pulled out my sword with my other hand ready for my wand if need be. Harry's brow was furrowed in concentration and Jethro was muttering under his breath.

Another spell burst forth. And another, and then another. They kept coming and coming, startling all of us each time but luckily we were all prepared enough to block them.

And then the first Rider walked through. He looked tired and exhausted at the effort and Jethro immediately shot an arrow into his heart. Maggie summoned the arrow back from him and they nodded at each other.

They started coming in in groups then, and we all began stunning and cursing in unison. Trelawny managed to actually force a Rider into the wall for a long enough period of time to drown him. McGonagall transfigured the surrounding hedges to attack another group of Unionists, the long tentacles of the plant vines reaching out and strangling them.

Harry waved his wand repeatedly every time the water in front of us moved, stunning everyone as they passed. His wandwork was, as per usual, astounding.

A large group managed to come through, signifying that the wall was truly breaking down. Maggie forced them back through, however, by waving her hand and literally bombarding them with a large burst of magical energy. I could feel the reverberations from where I stood as the blue light smashed into the group, sending them backwards with a large _boom_.

I turned and saw in horror that a Rider was charging up to me, wand out and a sneer on his face. He sent a curse my way and I deflected it, somehow, with my sword, before running up to him and running him through.

The trickle of people getting through and fighting quickly became a stream and we all began fighting in earnest. The dragons still didn't come out yet- we had about twenty on our side, but we knew that the Unionists would have at least twice as much and we kept them hidden. Not to mention, their dragons still couldn't get through.

Curses filled the air now, snaps and brilliant flashes of light whirring back and forth across the sky. Harry was soon all out dueling a tall man with an angry complexion. Maggie was doing the same with a similarly built man- they could have been twins, at least brothers. Jethro was shooting as quickly as he could, I summoning the arrows back for him as fast as I could as I dodged and deflected the spells sent at me with my sword before running their casters through.

I could see out of the corner of my eye Alice running forward at a Unionist, screaming at the top of her lungs, her wand out and a million stunners streaming from it as she finally literally knocked him back into the water with a flash of light. Teddy nearby was whirling in one place, sending curses all around him at the Unionists that had surrounded him. Nate and Victoire were standing together as they fought against another pack of Unionists, their bright red spells knocking many backward and smashing into the ground.

A large pack of Unionists rushed forward, sending us all into chaos. I ran forward and slashed as they passed by, ducking under spells and leaping over people as I killed them. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment before killing another, my sword now glistening red.

I ran over, seeing Maggie caught in a tussle with a large, brutish Unionist and rushed to help her. I stabbed the man in back, grunting with the effort of removing my sword from his body. Maggie ran towards me and kissed me before running back into the fray.

Our side suffered casualties, too- I watched as a few seventh years fell to the ground, dead, and I tried to not focus on my intense sadness with the occasion. There were obviously others, adults and children, who fell. I simply didn't have time to keep up with them all as I fought the Unionists throwing themselves towards me.

Occasionally I had to take out my wand, waving it angrily as they attacked me from too far away to fight with the sword. I ran forward, roaring at the top of my lungs, feeling my small amount of dragon-ness fill me up inside. Harry seemed to be having the same experience, also roaring in unison with me and rushing forward at a new group of Unionists. He ducked and rolled to avoid spells and leaped over five Unionists just to curse them from behind.

Maggie let out a huge burst of energy that almost knocked me to the ground, but for some reason I stayed standing. All the Unionists around me, however, did fall. I looked at her and she smiled before turning around and slitting another throat with magic. Jethro had run out of arrows and Harry summoned them back for him, allowing him to once again shoot in a more lethal way than I had ever seen.

"It doesn't help they freed all the people from Azkaban," Ron, nearby, shouted, "All those Death Eaters and their cronies- the Snatchers, everyone- are fighting for their freedom right now."

"They are insane if they think the Unionists won't experiment on them," Harry replied, "But they're still fighting."

I turned and leapt out of the way as another spell came towards me, catching it head on with my wand and forming a chain between us. Harry's eyes widened and Maggie called out as I broke the chain and sent another stunner at the man, whose eyes widened as he fell to the ground.

Many of those who had been stunned were getting up now but, instead of fighting, limped back to the other side of the water wall. The onslaught of new attackers also seemed to be slowing down and I grew nervous as I had very little to fight against.

A bright flash of green light whirred past me and I felt my eyes widen as I faced my attacker, an aging man with a sneer and many tattoos littering his body.

"Scabior," I heard Ron hiss.

Maggie screamed, however, in anger at seeing me so close to death and ran forward, knocking the ex-snatcher onto his back and sending another burst of energy forward, making him lie perfectly still.

She looked at me with narrowed eyes and fury fuming behind them. I raised my eyebrows at her and she calmed down.

"I hate seeing you so close to death. I've had enough of that for a lifetime and no one should be allowed to put me through it again," Maggie muttered before turning back to another attacker.

Hermione ran up to us, tears flowing down her face. I reached out to her and looked at her in concern.

"We need a break to bury our dead," she sobbed, "Or care for them. We've lost a lot of people."

"Who?" I asked, terrified to hear the news.

She shook her head, "Not yet, you need to concentrate."

Draco Malfoy came running up then, chasing after another ex-Death Eater. Upon closer look I could see it was none other than the former owner of Borgin and Burkes, whom I recognized from Harry's stories.

"You're mine, you cowardly, bullying menace, you're mine," he screamed, "For making me a Death Eater, for forcing me to work to kill Dumbledore." He ran so fast after the man I was actually mildly impressed, despite myself.

Maggie was fighting again, with another Unionist much bigger than herself. She was struggling, the hand magic flying between them hitting her as hard as it hit him.

Jethro and I both ran forward, him shooting an arrow through his head and me blasting him off his feet with hand magic of my own. Maggie looked to me and threw her arms around me, four new scars across her face.

"Thank you," she looked over at Jethro, "Both of you."

Jethro nodded and turned to another enemy as I leaned down to kiss her again. I had to kiss her, as many times as possible. Who knew if we would both survive this to kiss again? Who knew if I would be left to raise our children alone, or her to raise them in a similar fashion? I couldn't keep the Tree's promises of the future as truth. Time could always be rewritten

She looked up at me with similar emotions behind her eyes before turning to fight another enemy. I turned around and saw Minerva McGonagall standing next to me.

"You two," she was smiling, though, a rare sight for her.

"You were expecting it the entire year, that year," I smiled in response and she laughed.

"Of course I was. Almost immediately. She's always had a strong personality and when I met her and discovered what that personality was one of my first thoughts were _She would balance out Longbottom almost perfectly_. So I told her to spy on you and Dumbledore's Army," Minerva laughed a little.

"I thought Snape did that?" I raised an eyebrow.

"We both did, turns out. Now, go back and help her," Minerva pointed out behind me and I turned around rapidly, shooting a curse immediately at a tiny woman fighting Maggie.

Maggie stuck her tongue out at me, "I had that one."

"I know!" I shouted in response, going forward to take care of another, solitary Unionist.

Soon after that, the trickle of Unionists came to a stop. The fighting ended and we all looked at each other, our faces bloody and battered and scarred. Jethro looked exhausted and Harry just looked old.

Maggie walked up to me, "I'm terrified to see who has died."

"As am I," I paused, "But we have to."

We walked amongst the bodies, many who were moaning where they lay. Most of our fighters had immediately begun to help with the cleanup and tending of the wounded.

I turned to see Dean Thomas walk up to me. He reached out and held to my upper arms and I looked back at him in earnest.

"Get Maggie," Dean whispered.

I looked at him, "What-?"

"Get. Maggie," Dean repeated.

I turned and ran through the crowd, finding her tending a young wounded Hogwarts student. I recognized her immediately- a Ravenclaw fourth year, Caroline Brooks.

"It'll be OK, I promise," Maggie soothed, "Just breathe, a healer will be by in a moment."

Caroline nodded, whimpering. Maggie looked up at me and I could see a fresh new scar bleeding heavily across her eyelid.

"Maggie," I sighed, waving my wand and cleaning it. She smiled in thanks.

"Caroline, you're going to be ok, alright? I promise," I soothed as I knelt over the girl, "You've been very brave."

She nodded and smiled a watery smile at me, "Thanks Professor Longbottom."

"Just breathe," I reassured again. I saw over her head a healer rushing forward and I smiled even more, "Help is coming, I promise."

I stood up and looked at Maggie, who threw her arms around me, "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered in response, "Dean asked for us."

"Dean?" Maggie frowned, "Why?"

"I don't know, but he looked very grim. So I'm terrified," I whispered.

Maggie rushed up to me and held tightly to my hand as we walked back over to Dean. He was crying now, and I felt my eyes widen.

"Dean?" Maggie whispered.

Dean waved us forward and we walked with him through the crowd, back to another edge of the wall. Below us were two people, both dead.

Seamus and Lavender.

Maggie let out a cry and I fell to the ground next to them. Dean looked emotionless, having lost his best friend and his wife at the same time. I looked up at him and didn't even know what to say.

"Dean… I…" I felt tears come to my own eyes. Seamus was one of my best mates. He always had been. And even though Lavender wasn't my favorite person in the universe, she was still a nice girl who didn't deserve to die.

"Don't," Dean whispered, "I just thought you two should know."

Maggie was sobbing and reached out to close Seamus' eyes. I wrapped my arm around her and she shook in my arms.

"Do you know of anyone else?" I asked Dean softly, crying heavily myself.

"No, you'd better look around to see," Dean replied, "I'm going to go find Parvati. Wherever she went."

"I'm here," I looked up to see Parvati walking over to us, looking downtrodden, "And Padma's gone, too."

"No," I gasped.

"If I don't die in this battle, Dean, you have to promise to kill me, because that's everyone," Parvati begged.

"No," Dean replied firmly, "You have to keep living for them."

Maggie looked up at Parvati, "They wouldn't have wanted you to give up." She stood up then, looking down at me, "Us too. Come on. We have to keep helping. That's our job."

I stood up with Maggie and nodded at Dean and Parvati, walking back through the throngs of people milling about. I saw the Weasleys all gathered around something and we headed towards there, and I could hear extraordinarily loud sobbing. Maggie's grip on my hand tightened extremely and I knew she was terrified of what they would find.

Everyone was sobbing, but I was amazed at the amount Percy Weasley was. He usually showed no emotion and there he was, sobbing over the body of his wife, Audrey. Next to her was Charlie Weasley, dead before a single dragon had crossed over. I looked up and realized Molly and Arthur, Bill and Fleur wouldn't even know about this; they would be babysitting the children.

"Someone has to send word to Molly and Arthur," I whispered to Harry, who was crying softly next to me.

"Already done," Harry responded, "I can't believe this."

"Nor can I," I agreed, "We have to end it, now."

"Agreed," Jethro stated gruffly from behind me.

There was a loud rumble that shook the foundations of the city. I looked up wildly and saw that the water wall was beginning to shake around above our heads. I swallowed as I looked up at it, nervousness filling me rapidly.

"Well, almost time," Maggie stated dully. I looked down at her sadly.

"I need to mourn Seamus, Nev," Maggie whispered, "But I haven't time for that, do I?"

"Neither do I, apparently," I agreed, "I'm sorry."

"It feels like last time," Harry whispered, "It feels like that break we had during the Battle of Hogwarts."

"At least we don't have to walk to the Forest where you'll willingly give yourself up this time," Maggie stated, still in a dull voice. I could tell through our link that she was just trying to block all her emotions from coming out at this worst possible time.

"There is that," Harry agreed with a sigh, "That seems almost simpler than just going in and killing the bitch."

"Do you think she has Horcruxes? Just so we're aware," I asked Jethro. He shook his head immediately.

"She isn't clever enough, I'm sad to say. England produced a villain who was intelligent as well as evil. America produces a villain who is an idiot but fantastic at brainwashing," Jethro muttered.

"Seems appropriate," Maggie sighed.

"I hate to say it, but it does," Hermione commented as she passed us, carrying medical supplies to help tend the wounded. Maggie shrugged, clearly in agreement with the bashing of her country.

She suddenly looked up and at Jethro, "Elena? Is she OK?" She looked panicked, as if by forgetting to check up on her sister she had doomed her.

"Elena went back to help look after your kids, actually," Jethro paused, "Midway through. She said having one of us in danger was enough," Jethro shrugged.

"Oh thank God," Maggie whispered, "Thank you for telling me."

"No problem," Jethro agreed."

The wall let out another violent shake and I looked up at it in terror, wishing for it to stay up and keep the dragons out for just a little bit longer. Maggie looked at me and shook her head. I knew time was rapidly running short now.

The Unionists were aware of it too- I could see Dragons mulling about outside, hovering around the edge of our magical barrier. They were huge and terrifying and I took a deep breath. Our own dragons flew out from their hiding spots, coming to stand by their owners. Thailus, Emralda, Oscuro and Norerta stood with us, looking determined.

"We can do this," Harry stated bravely, "We can. I believe in us."

Maggie, Jethro and I nodded, too tired to argue and too in need of hope to actively disagree.

"The wall will crash down over our heads, but it won't be enough to drown us or even knock us down. Everyone should be prepared to get wet," Kingsley shouted.

"What about the Riders among us?" Hermione asked.

"It shouldn't be enough to damage us," Maggie replied, "Especially if it comes down all at once."

We all braced ourselves for the eventual disintegration, and the Unionists seemed to be the same as no more came through as the wall was shaking. I looked over at Maggie and she looked at me with a similar gaze, filled with desperation and slight fear. I braced myself and closed my eyes as the first droplets of water began to fall on my head. I said a silent prayer, something I didn't usually do.

Maggie kissed me, suddenly and unexpectedly as the water continued to fall above our heads. We could hear the roars of dragons on the outside, the roars of triumph and excitement. But she continued to kiss me and I thought, idly in the back of my head, that now probably wasn't the best time to be low on oxygen.

She had a similar thought and pulled away from me, bracing herself where she stood. I looked up and closed my eyes, and a cascade of water fell down over us like a waterfall.

And the roars of dragons filled the air.

AN: Well, to hell with the four reviews system, I thought to myself this week. I only have this chapter, two more big chapters and the epilogue left. So, I've finished the story and am just posting it all at once. Expect the next three chapters very soon.

Shout out to TA-twinarmageddons for being my last faithful reviewer. I really owe you a lot.

Please review, though I know you guys won't. Not gonna lie, the Harry Potter fan community has let me down with this one. Though, I'm hoping my other story- since the main characters are going to be Hermione and Harry- will get some reviews.


	52. Ch 15: Dragon Breath

Ch. 15 Dragon Breath

_You  
When you're falling down  
The world starts spinning out  
You  
When you're falling down  
Now it's not all about  
You  
When you're falling down  
You know I'll be around  
When you're falling down, falling down_

_What's out of place when you look into the mirror?  
The truth is blurry but the lies are getting clearer  
Your eyes are fixed, your smile is so elastic  
You gave me roses but they're all just made of plastic  
_~Falling Down by Selena Gomez and the Scene

Maggie jumped onto Thailus' back, both soaking wet, and I did the same with Emralda. Harry followed on Norberta and Jethro on Oscuro, and we all took off into the air with the few other dragons on our side.

I was still new to this whole idea of dragon riding while fighting, and it was nerve-wracking to say the least. Emralda understood my fears, though, and was very careful with her riding. Thailus and Oscuro were very clearly not taking the same care. I watched as the blue and black dragons twisted and turned in midair, both of comparable size, huge monsters zooming past and roaring. I swear I went deaf from the sounds.

I crouched low on Emralda's back and we flew quickly, following in Oscuro's slipstream. He was like a large bat, his skin a glistening black like that of obsidian rock. It shone in the sunlight of the sky above, glistening from both the nature of his scales and from the water still soaking his back.

I held my sword out in front of me, feeling my eyes narrow as I remembered that these people were the reason one of my best mates was dead. How dare they kill Seamus, with whom many had no quarrel, whom many of them didn't even know? Emralda dove forward and we dive bombed a group of Unionists who were on foot, her spraying a stream of fire every which way, roaring at the top of her lungs as she did so.

Another dragon came at us then. It was a small, teal creature, the same color as Maggie's eyes. When I looked at the dragon's eyes it made me pause for a second. I had to remind myself this animal was the enemy, and not connected to her. The creature dive bombed us in the next second but Emralda was read, grabbing a hold of the dragon's neck with her jaws and holding onto its head and the base of its neck with her claws, twisting the neck with a _crack!_ And snapping it in two. The dragon didn't even have a chance to make a sound before it crashed below, the owner suddenly going limp atop it.

Emralda roared and turned sharply in midair, flying faster than we ever had before through the sky. The sun was setting in front of us, a brilliant orange and yellow blur. A similarly shaded dragon then appeared before us, slashing its large foreclaws across Emralda's face. Her blood splattered in midair, some even hitting my face and making me blink in surprise. Emralda roared in pain and fury and bit down, hard, on the orange dragon's maw. The dragon shook furiously to try and let go and I noticed it was without a rider. Was the rider dead, and the dragon only alive due to children? Or was the dragon conscripted to fight for the Unionists in exchange for its life?

Did it matter? The dragon was still trying to kill us.

Emralda, who had an amazingly tight grip on the dragon, finally released him as she threw her head back. The dragon spun out of control in midair and crashed into a building, knocking the entire thing down. I winced, worrying that there were muggles inside, before turning and speeding along towards the giant blue and black blurs I knew were my wife and my (if everything went well) future brother-in-law. I saw a brown-reddish blur come towards me and I hailed Harry from afar. Norberta raised her head to the sky and a giant plume of flames erupted there.

Thailus and Oscuro were in the middle of fighting a large, forest green dragon, a dragon almost the size of Thailus, and bigger than Emralda. The dragon was putting up a hell of a fight, scratching and biting and whipping its tail around violently. The dragon let out a roar as Thailus blew flames directly into its eyes, the heat searing from the flames noticeable from where I was. I looked for the owner atop it and saw a man, so not Elisha, with bright red hair and dark eyes. He looked furious as he fought, his wand slashing in midair in Maggie's direction.

Maggie cried out in pain and collapsed upon Thailus' back, and I could see blood soaking through her shirt. I screamed in fury, feeling her go unconscious through our link. Panic entered every corner of my being as Emralda dove forward, smashing into the dragon. I held on for dear life as the two creatures smashed into each other, Emralda clawing at the other dragon furiously and biting down on its wing, ripping it into shreds. The dragon's blood flew all over us and it screamed in unbearable agony. Unable to fly, it collapsed down to the ground far below, where it fell into the remainder of the Thames.

I looked around wildly and found Thailus still hovering in midair, blocked from attack by Norberta and Oscuro. Emralda flew me close to the blue dragon so I could safely clamber onto his back, still clumsy and scrambling to find my balance there. Maggie was groaning, the blood still covering her shirt. I mumbled the counter-curses for Sectumsempra under my breath, tears filling my eyes as I prayed that she would survive, that she would be OK, that we would make it through.

She gasped for air when the wound was fully healed, trying to sit up on her dragon's back. I held her down, looking down at her desperately.

"Conserve your strength love, please," I begged, "It won't do you any good now to get yourself hurt again."

"What happened?" Maggie whispered, "Why…"

"The other rider is dead, Emralda killed his dragon," I paused, "You were hit with Sectumsempra but you're going to be fine."

"The wound will open up again if you don't…" Maggie paused, very weak and unable to continue speaking.

"Here," I heard Harry call out. I looked up to see him flying over and handing me a bottle.

"From Hermione. She says it's for Sectumsempra," Harry explained, "From Madam Pomphrey."

"Thank you," I gasped, taking the lovely blue goop that I was familiar with. Maggie smiled weakly at me as I helped remove her bloody shirt. She blushed slightly but I smiled in amusement.

"One, Jethro's not around. Two, who the hell cares?" I laughed.

"Fine," Maggie moaned, "Just put the crap on me."

I spread the goop over her wound, gently massaging it in to the creases of the scar. It ran parallel to the synthetic scar she had received at our wedding, just a little bit higher so removing her bra didn't end up being necessary. I gently ran my fingers all the way down her torso before throwing the bottle back to Potter, who caught it with his usual Seeker aim. I gently helped Maggie sit up then, helping her back into her bloody shirt and kissing her on the forehead.

"Favor returned I reckon," I laughed.

"True," Maggie mumbled against my shoulder, "I love you."

"I love you too," I responded earnestly, "Now let's go kick some more arse."

Maggie giggled and kissed me very softly before I jumped back up on Emralda's back. She zoomed through the air, flying exceptionally fast towards another dragon, this one a deep shade of red. Emralda rushed headfirst into the dragon's side, knocking the wind out of it as the dragon smashed into another nearby building.

Really, the lack of concern we had for the muggles appalled me a little bit.

The two dragons fought violently in midair, twisting and turning around angrily. Emralda scratched at the dragon's back and the dragon's tail repeated bashed into her side. I held my sword out and looked at the other dragon's rider challengingly, glaring at him to try and attack me.

The other rider's eyes narrowed as well and he pulled out his wand. He was an exceptional fighter and I could immediately see why they hadn't let him through before. Every curse was difficult to deflect with my sword and I was forced to pull out my own wand and cast shield charm after shield charm in my own defense. I had no time at all to even pause and try and react to the situation as he kept cursing me with increasingly terrible spells. I had no time at all to interject my own spells. I just had to hope that I would be able to stop the onslaught before it actually hit me.

Emralda tore out a chunk of his dragon's side, the flesh and scales falling down to the ground below. The dragon roared and grew limp, blood pouring out as a small sectumsempra hit me and slashed me over the eye. I groaned, but the other Rider was collapsing with the dragon, falling down and into a crumpled heap on the ground. I was exhausted. That fight had taken a considerable amount out of me with not very much return.

We turned and faced a small wyvern, easily knocking the creature down. Emralda was getting tired too now, I could feel strongly through our link.

I heard a scream and I looked over to see Maggie paused in midair, her and Thailus watching something, apparently frozen. We flew over to see her watching with wide eyes as a bright orange dragon fell to the ground and the rider atop it with it- and I knew immediately it was Najhi and Richard.

Maggie looked white as a ghost and exceptionally shocked to boot, "Richard," she whispered softly.

"I'm sorry," I called out, "You can mourn him later."

"Alright," Maggie whispered, "Does Kylie know?"

"She does," I heard Ezra call out, "She's still fighting. She has Peggy to live for."

"Ok," Maggie mumbled before turning around and flying through midair. I turned around with Emralda, wondering how Maggie would deal with this latest amazing shock.

I held tightly to Emralda as another dragon came at us- a dragon a deep indigo, with teeth that gleamed brightly in the fading sunlight. Its rider was a girl, with wild black hair and angry eyes, her wand out and her teeth bared as her dragon had them.

I swung my sword at her as Emralda grabbed onto her dragon's wing and tried to tear it, but this pair was stronger. The wing smashed down and brought Emralda with it, crashing her into the other dragon's side and causing me to tear the dragon's wing with my sword. I gripped the handle tightly and tried to swing it in the direction of the other dragon but it turned around first, causing me to accidentally smash the hilt into the side of Emralda. She growled in annoyance and I apologized furiously through our minds.

The witch sent a curse at me and I blocked it, and soon the dragons simply served as platforms for our duel. Curses snapped back and forth with equal frequency this time, though mine were of the nature of Dumbledore's Army- stupefy, expelliarmus, rictusempra, levicorpus, and I even cast a patronus in a moment of desperation. Hers were clearly dark curses, and she never spoke aloud an incantation. I simply recognized the green of the killing curse, the flash of black of the cruciatus curse, her own stunners, the darker green of sectumsempra, and a brilliant purple that I remembered being the cause of severe internal damage in Hermione at the Department of Mysteries in the fifth year.

I grimaced as some of the curses hit me and she did much the same when I returned the favor. We had been dueling for nearly ten minutes now and my teeth were on edge with the effort, my entire body begging for a break. I knew Maggie, Jethro and Harry must have all been occupied with their own duels or else I would have been helped by now. I tried again and again to stun her or disarm her but was foiled by a shield charm every time, or a well-timed dodge out of the way. Similarly, I managed to avoid the curses she sent towards me.

"Give up, you ignoramus," she screamed after a long time of this, clearly equally worn out as me.

"Never, you oppressive bitch," I replied angrily.

I managed to hit her with a good stunner and she groaned in anger. Emralda dove, hoping for me to catch her with the sword, me gripping onto my dragon's neck tightly. I was still afraid of heights and was trying desperately to not look down. I couldn't help it. Some things just couldn't change that much.

But as I got close enough to finally run her through with my sword she recovered from the stunner. Triumph entered her eyes as she shot the purple curse at me, and I felt like the entirety of my insides had been crushed together at once. I groaned and fell unconscious onto Emralda's back just as I heard Maggie's scream from a ways off.

I was unconscious for a long while, I could tell by the mere virtue of my extreme grogginess when I finally did wake up. My unconsciousness was filled with terrible dreams, as though part of the curse was to also destroy my mind- I dreamed that Maggie had died, that my children had died, that everyone I loved and cared about was tortured before my eyes once again and killed. I knew I was screaming in my sleep as my inner fears concocted my worst nightmares in how I could witness these terrible events.

"Neville! Neville! It's alright! It's all going to be alright! Neville!" I could faintly hear Maggie's voice as I started to come to.

"Dad, please, please," I heard someone sob- Nate.

"Please, dad, please," Alice sobbed right along with him.

"Fix my grandson _this instant_," I could hear Gran demand, and I was amazed that she was there, in the battle. She was probably fighting, bless her.

I slowly came too, feeling light enter my eyes as I opened them and looked around me groggily. My family were directly above me, looking down at me in terror. I saw Madam Pomphrey behind them all, looking exhausted but pleased with my recovery.

"It's hell, isn't it?" I heard Hermione ask calmly from the other side, somewhere I couldn't see her, "Almost worse that the cruciatus curse."

I nodded weakly and wanted to sit up, but Maggie pushed me back down again. She had even more new scars, as did Alice and Nate.

"Just rest for a moment, the battle's still going on. We've brought you somewhere safe," Maggie whispered.

"How long have I been out?" I asked calmly.

"Almost twelve hours," Alice mumbled, "You've been screaming for a long time now."

"I'm sorry kids," I whispered, "You shouldn't have been ehre."

"It's OK," Nate stated calmly, "We needed to be here and make sure you were OK."

"And you'll be fine enough soon. We still need to defeat Elisha," Maggie sighed, "As much as I just want you to leave the fighting now."

"What color is Elisha's dragon?" I asked calmly.

"We don't actually know. Jethro does but I haven't thought to ask," Maggie paused, "She hasn't entered the fray yet."

"That bitch is insane. We have to get her," I snarled angrily, trying to sit up. Maggie gently pushed me back down against what I now realized was a bed.

"We can't yet. First off we have no idea where she is. Second off you're not ready to go back out there yet and I won't have you die, not yet. We have too much living to do," Maggie hissed, "Calm down."

I nodded and tried to relax, but I was itching to get up and help. I couldn't just sit by while my friends gave their lives for a cause that had nothing to do with them in the first place. In the end, we were fighting for Maggie. And because most people didn't even know her, they were fighting for me. And I couldn't just sit here.

"Just calm down, dad," Alice begged.

"You'll have plenty of time to be the hero soon enough," Gran reassured.

"So you've come back?" I asked her softly. My gran looked rather embarrassed.

"I apologize for my behavior when Maggie came back, and I'm sorry for not being around enough for you two since. But you're right. I've come back and I'm here to help my family," Gran whispered.

"I forgive you, if you can do the same for me," I replied calmly. She nodded.

"Alright you all, it's time to go, except for Maggie. If he's going to be rested enough to go back out there, as insane as it is, he needs to be left alone," Madam Pomphrey snapped.

They all trickled out, kissing me on the forehead or hugging me in farewell, as I sighed and sat there calmly.

"Just rest," Maggie begged, "There will be plenty of time later."

"Alright," I agreed. She tended me calmly, giving me food and water and soothing me, as the next day passed. I couldn't sleep, not when I feared my dreams so much. However, I did finally manage to doze off after a time. Eventually Maggie stood up and handed me my robes. She looked as exhausted as I felt.

"I love you, and it's time to go," she explained calmly. I stood up and put on my robes, stretching out in amazement at the new feeling of being active.

"We can do this. I really believe it now, Mags," I whispered.

"I know," Maggie sighed. She looked dejected and I gently lifted up her chin so she was facing me.

"Don't despair yet. I'm still alive aren't I?" I smiled calmly.

"Yes, but you came very close to death. I've lost so many already I don't want you out there," she whispered, "But I know I can't stop you."

"No, you can't. Not when I've already lost so many and I don't want you out there either," I responded calmly, "I've almost lost you so many times before now and I don't think it's fair that you ask me to just sit idly by and ignore that I could lose you again."

"I know," Maggie mumbled, "I'm being very unfair and I'm sorry."

I sighed, "It's understandable. It's time to go, and we can do this. Together, like we always have. Like rebelling against the Carrows and fighting against Death Eaters and saving our kids. We work best when we're together and that's how we're going in."

"You're right," Maggie managed a weak smile, "I love you."

"I love you too," I responded, giving her a kiss, "Let's do this damn thing."

We both went outside to London, which was in turmoil. Dragons were everywhere and I could tell now that there were hundreds of wild dragons fighting, many of them for our side, seemingly for their freedom. I turned and found Emralda and leapt onto her back, glaring out at the world.

We fought for many more hours with very little surprising incident- we didn't even kill many people, just stunned them. Emralda and I were both still exhausted and needed to recover.

Jethro and Harry seemed to be still in their stride, fighting angrily against the Unionists that attacked them. Jethro seemed particularly vindictive.

Suddenly, I could see Jethro look over at me in amazement. Harry had just killed a Unionist by accident as the dragon crashed into the Thames.

"What is it Jethro?" I asked as Emralda flew calmly over to him.

"I… that… That was…" Jethro stammered. I looked and saw that his hand, which he had raised to his face, was glowing with a ball of magic.

"Magic," I gasped in amazement. Maggie flew over to us to find out what was going on.

"Jethro, you have… Did… Someone kill the man who took your magic?" Maggie gasped.

"Yes," Jethro whispered, "Harry killed the Unionist who took away my magic and now I have it back. I'm a wizard again."

Harry flew over to us with a grin, "Your welcome, Jethro. I didn't even plan that."

"I am so indebted to you," Jethro gasped, "I never thought that would happen."

"Let's keep fighting shall we?" Maggie whispered, "I really believe we can do this now."

The four of us split up and I turned to see a midair battle occurring. Kylie was there, on Amityh, fighting with a very large brown dragon. The two of them were fighting furiously, and I could tell Kylie was simply trying to hang onto life at this point, having lost her cousin and her husband.

I flew over to help, Emralda grabbing onto the brown dragon's tail and dragging backwards, trying to rip the dragon to pieces. Kylie and the witch atop the dragon continued to fight, however, as Emralda and the brown dragon began to tussle. Emralda bit down even harder on the tail and a stream of blood flowed from it.

"KYLIE!" I heard Maggie scream. I whipped out my wand and shot a curse at the witch attacking her just as she shot a green curse at Kylie. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as one of my wife's best friends was thrown backwards on her dragon, eyes wide. She crumpled to the back of the dragon as the golden creature began to zoom, spinning around and around, towards the ground. In that moment, however, her attacker also fell to the ground, both the dragon and rider struck dead. The two creatures collapsed at the same time, both dead, both with dead riders.

I looked up in panic at Maggie, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Harry flew over, looking horror struck.

"They landed on Cho Chang, I saw her below," Harry whispered. Great. Three people and two dragons had just died all at once.

Maggie was sobbing but she flew towards me.

"It's not your fault, Neville, you were trying to help," she sobbed.

"It'll be OK, we're going to avenge her. And Cho. I promise," I whispered. She nodded and we both flew off together, Harry following us.

Suddenly, the giant black form of Oscuro flew out in front of us. Jethro atop him looked angry and determined.

"It's time. I saw her. Elisha. Elisha and her dragon," Jethro whispered.

"What's her dragon look like?" I hissed. Maggie nodded fervently next to me.

"She's huge, the size of Thailus, and blood red," Jethro whispered, "Her name is Falheesi. Let's go."

We all took off together, flying in a pack through the air. I could see Alice, Teddy, Nate and Victoire all atop Alice's dragon, all fighting a pack of Unionists so brilliantly I knew the Unionists didn't stand a bleeding chance. We continued on through the throws of fighters, trying to get to Elisha as quickly as we could.

And there she was. A giant red dragon with a wild looking woman riding atop.

"Honey, I'm home," Jethro greeted in a sing song voice that made me and Maggie laugh rather hysterically.

"Oh look, it's you. The prodigal son returns to kill his father," her voice was nothing like I expected- it was deep and southern and practically sultry.

"Except this time the father's the bad guy," Jethro scowled.

"That's subjective," Elisha laughed.

"Since it's four against one, I think it's a pretty objective opinion actually," Harry snapped.

"You must be the famous Harry Potter, slayer of evil wizards and stronghold of extreme self-righteousness," Elisha cackled.

"Well I think I have some right to it," Harry replied angrily.

"And you must be Maggie and Neville, the tragic love story, the heartwarming tale of true destiny that makes me want to throw up," Elisha finished, "Come to kill me for splitting you two up, are you?"

"That's not worth killing someone," Maggie hissed, "All the lives you've ruined and all the death you've caused. That's why we're doing this."

"Seems rather silly," Elisha smiled, "I haven't killed you or your family yet, have I?"

"You have, actually," Maggie snapped.

"Ah well, must have slipped my mind. Everyone is so unimportant to me," Elisha simpered.

"Enough of this," Jethro roared, and Oscuro dove for the dragon.

Suddenly, everything was tooth and claw and tail and fire. I could barely keep up with it as Emralda began tearing at the red dragon and curses began filling the air. I felt everything within me ache with the remnants of the purple curse and I tried to concentrate on bringing down the woman fighting us, finding it hard to concentrate on much else but the pain.

The fighting had stopped below and I think Elisha knew we were going to defeat her. I think she had known all along and that's why she had waited this long. Our side had suffered many fewer casualties, though each was heartbreaking, and the few Unionists left had surrendered.

Her dragon received wound after wound after wound as all four of us turned to attack her, refusing to let up as she fought back fairly equally, keeping up with our onslaught of curses. But she knew it was the end. We all knew it was the end.

Quite a few things happened in unison then. I saw as Maggie sent a stunner straight into Elisha's heart that sent her over the edge of her dragon, down to the ground below where she landed on the London street with a mighty crash, blood splattering over everything. At the same moment, Oscuro twisted her dragon's neck, breaking it with a deafening crack. At the same time, Norberta, below the dragon, managed to claw out from her soft underbelly her insides, allowing them to spill out to the ground below. And during all this I had managed to lean over, upside down on Emralda's back and terrified for my life, and run Elisha through with my sword before she hit the ground.

As dragon and rider finally hit the ground and went still, I looked over at Maggie in shock and amazement. Everything was still. She was bleeding profusely from a wound in her side but managed to smile weakly before collapsing with shock.

AN: Elisha's end I always saw as a pathetic affair. She sends everyone out to fight for her because she knows how easily she can be defeated, and the moment she is it isn't so much a giant furious battle between wizards of equal ability, but the last gasp of a dying pathetic breed. As such, I enjoyed writing her end. Sorry for all the deaths, but this is a war.

Please review, though I know I shouldn't expect many due to the frequency of updates today.


	53. Ch 16: Pieces

Ch. 16 Pieces

_Come raise your lantern to the sky  
Can we illuminate this night?  
We'll dance like heathens around our flame  
While the world sleeps we are awake  
_~Lanterns by Rise Against

It was a few weeks later when Maggie was finally well enough to leave the hospital. We left St. Mungo's in a triumphant, if mournful; procession, with our entire family walking out with us. I noticed keenly the empty holes Seamus and the others had left by their deaths.

As we walked out of the building, Maggie leaning on me greatly, passing wizards cheered us on. I smiled weakly downa t her and she smiled widely in response.

"I'm tired, Neville. I want to retire," she sighed.

"You deserve it, love," I responded calmly, "But will you think this way forever?"

"Yes," Maggie stated calmly, "I really think so."

"We'll see," Harry laughed. Maggie looked over at him in annoyance.

"Well, you're a female, more reckless, and probably smarter version of myself Maggie," Harry paused, "But you're still a load like me. And you won't be happy just sitting around."

Maggie scoffed but Jethro was laughing silently as he walked with Elena, their hands tightly grasped between them.

"We'll all be OK," I whispered softly to her, "We're all going to be OK now."

She looked up at me skeptically, "Are you sure? Because I feel like I've lost too much now and I'm much too old to continue on with this."

"I disagree," I murmured, "You're a survivor and you'll be able to fill the void with new experiences, our family, and the remainder of your loved ones. I truly believe it."

Maggie nodded and we continued walking out of the hospital and all apparated together to our house. Hermione and Ron went to the kitchen to help begin to cook a meal as we all stood around in the family room together and began talking and sitting down and simply relaxing, fully, for the first time in years.

"We have a lot of work to do back in the states," Ezra sighed, "Putting the country back together after these years. Simply too much to do."

"We'll have to go back and help," Kita paused, "Most of the UDRA will have to."

"Obviously we don't expect you to, Maggie. Or even you, Jethro," Ezra continued, "You have earned a respite. You have earned your lives back here, in the UK."

"Thank you," Jethro whispered.

"Will you visit?" Maggie asked calmly.

"Of course," Ezra nodded.

"After all we've been through? There's no way we're not going to see you again," Kita smiled calmly.

There was a long pause as Molly came in holding young Peggy, who was crying once again. She had cried nearly constantly when awake since she realized her parents hadn't appeared in much too long.

"Did she ever say why Peggy was a single child?" I realized as I looked at the babe, realize she didn't have any siblings.

"Ky… Kylie said the others died during all their traveling. Peggy was the only one who survived. Yet more who were killed because of that god awful, weak woman," Maggie spat. She was crying again, streams of tears running down her face.

"Oh sweetheart, don't get more worked up again," I soothed, gently wiping the tears from her face, "There's no use in dwelling on it."

There was a long pause as Hermione brought out tea and passed it out, us all sitting and drinking it calmly. Maggie managed to stop crying after a while, though she still looked dejected and forlorn.

"Who has been given custody of the child?" Kita finally asked after a pause, "I know Molly can't look after her forever."

"Maggie's her legal guardian now," I paused, "Molly's just been looking after her for us while she's been at the Hospital."

"Of course Maggie was given custody," Harry nodded fervently.

"Actually, she and Seamus were given joint custody…" I managed to choke out Seamus' name without sobbing, but Maggie immediately began to cry once again.

"I can still care for her until Maggie's recovered, if you want," Molly offered softly. I looked down at Maggie and back up at Molly, nodding in thanks.

They all soon left, even the children to go back to Hogwarts. The babies were still with Molly as well, so it was just the two of us in the house.

Maggie collapsed into my lap and began sobbing in earnest, her tears trailing down my pants and soaking them. I could feel through our link just how exceptionally depressed she was. It was as if there was a large weight in her heart, pinning her down. For the first time in fourteen years, she finally felt everything she had been bottling up for such a long time.

"Mum," she finally gasped out, "Mum, Snape, Luna, Fred, Dad, Phillip, Gerald, Leslie, Seamus, Lavender, Charlie, Audrey, Richard, Kita, Cho. Everyone. Everyone died and I can't believe it."

"I know," I whispered softly.

"I can't… so much… I can only handle so much," she replied, shaking in my arms as I tried to hold her tightly and to this world, trying to keep her sane.

"You have so much time to find yourself again, Maggie. So much time. And I will be here every step of the way. We'll be safe, you know," I whispered, "There's no one who can hurt us again. Not unless we feel the need to put ourselves in harm's way again. And we won't. We're safe now. We haven't been for fourteen, nearly fifteen years but we are."

"I love you so much," Maggie sobbed, "And I almost lost you. I've almost lost you so many times and I…"

"But you didn't," I reassured, "You never will. I promise."

She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes, "Never?"

"Never," I paused, "Can't get rid of me that easily, Johnson."

She laughed weakly, but she still had that depression weighing down heavily on her heart. I pulled her even closer and rocked her back and forth as she continued to cry, finally allowing it all to come out, finally allowing herself the time to mourn those she had lost.

Her depression was a hard thing to fight. It had entrenched itself in her heart and I knew it was the buildup of years of emotional repression, of years of not letting anything out at all. I felt bad for neglecting our children, but it was a rare time for someone like their mother to actually really need someone, and to admit it. So I took care of her.

The weeks went slowly, but I didn't become discouraged. I helped her talk through her emotions and I made sure to always be there for her. I heard from the school that Sprout was filling in for me as I tended to my wife.

Maggie was reluctant to admit how she felt about most things, but with this it was like pulling rotten teeth. She wanted the pain gone but she didn't want to deal with dealing with it. But I forced her to. Every day I would sit down with her on the family room floor, holding her hands and forcing her to talk through everything. How she felt she should have stopped her mother and saved her, or realized what was actually going on. How she felt like she didn't do Luna justice and owed her more than the friendship she gave. How she didn't understand how someone so filled with life like Fred could just die and not still be in the world causing people to laugh. How she felt she ruined my life.

I reassured her so many times that she never ruined my life; she had made it better, more fulfilled. It took a good week to convince her otherwise of that one.

We then managed to get to the Dragon War. She spoke of how she should have been there more for her father and done something to rescue him; how it was her fault his exodus had gone so spectacularly awful. We discussed how she felt that Phillip had died prematurely, how he had so much more to live for. We reached Gerald, and how she wished she could have helped him, helped him out of the Unionists before they had dragged him in too deeply and forced him to be who he wasn't comfortable with being. We discussed Jethro's 'death' and how she wished she hadn't ruined his life, too.

That had taken another week to break down and destroy. Jethro even had to come in and help reassure her that she really hadn't ruined his life.

Then we discussed Leslie, and how Maggie wished she could have been a better friend for her, how she wished she could have rescued her. The rest- Seamus, Lavender, Audrey, Charlie, Kylie, Richard, and Cho- were particularly raw and painful. Maggie blamed herself, personally, for each death. She couldn't accept that they had died on their own terms. She couldn't believe that Seamus and Kylie, two of the people in the world she was closest to, were gone, just like that. She didn't understand that she hadn't directly caused their deaths.

I helped her for a full month and a half to finally break down all these thoughts and destroy them. She was still mournful of her lost friends and family, but I finally managed to convince her that it wasn't her fault. Her depression managed to ease up with this news and revelation.

It didn't end then, of course, but at least she was functional to finally take care of her children, and Peggy. She would still cry herself to sleep at night again and she would still occasionally break down at the dinner table. But she was functional again, at last.

It took another year for her to finally be free of her depression. She would never be fully cured of it, but I expected that. I always would feel some depression in my own heart. But she was no longer controlled by it, and soon she laughed the same that she always had, back our early days, before the war against Voldemort had destroyed part of her.

In that intervening year, Nate and Victoire got together, an event no one was surprised by. Jethro and Elena got married, deciding they might as well in the end. Draco began to get to know the lot of us, realizing that we weren't the enemy to him and his family any more.

At the end of that year, most of us discovered we were expecting kids. For Maggie and me, this wasn't much of a surprise. We still needed to have four more children and we were glad that it was time to get it over with. For Elena and Jethro, it also wasn't much of a surprise. They knew that they would probably have kids at some point, and both were actually rather excited by the prospect.

But Ginny and Harry were expecting again, something they thought they were done with. Hermione and Ron were also following suit, along with George and Angelina, Draco and Astoria, Ezra and Kita. In fact, really only Bill and Fleur didn't get pregnant, which they considered a blessing. They really didn't need more children.

As a result, the following year, many more babies were born than had ever been witnessed before in Wizarding history. This many children hadn't even been born after Voldemort was defeated completely, or even when he was defeated when Harry was a baby. Arthur said the reason for this was after Voldemort's first end, most people just wanted life to get back to normal, and after the second end the target group that had been affected the most were people my and Maggie's age at the time- people who were too young to be thinking about children (even if they did accidentally occur.) But for this war, the major age group affected was people who were at the breeding age- whether they had yet to start, were in the middle, or thought they were finished. As a result, our Quadruplets' year at Hogwarts was one of the biggest ever seen- one hundred students.

We had Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Ron, and were proud of our names for them. The four of their namesakes were honored as well. Jethro and Elena had Carlie, Desmond and Renee. Harry and Ginny had twins, due to his newfound dragon nature, whom they named Neville and Elena. Ron and Hermione had Millie, George and Angelina had Remus, and Ezra and Kita had Bill, Richard, and Madison. Draco and Astoria had Nymphadora, who absolutely hated her name.

I was amazed that life was able to go on even after that- Alice and Teddy and Nate and Victoire all got married immediately after graduating. Alice joined the Dragon Riders, Teddy became the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Nate became the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher when Hagrid needed to retire, and Victoire became a magical lawyer along with her aunt Hermione.

And one day, just as I was ready to go to bed, my four youngest children wished to know how we had got our scars.

Oh, did they have a story to hear.

AN: I know, a bit of a short ending, but that's just me wrapping up loose ends and such. I'm looking forward to my Maggie-growing-up-with-Harry universe, it should be quite a bit of fun to write, especially since so many things change in the story.

Please review, though once again, I don't expect it.


	54. Epilogue: O Children

Epilogue: O Children

_O children  
Lift up your voice, lift up your voice  
Children  
Rejoice, Rejoice  
_~O Children by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

I try to wrangle my children into a sort of hoard as we walk towards Kings Cross. Peggy, the Sixtuplets, and the Quadruplets all managed to finally form an organized group as we got onto Platform 9 & ¾.

Neville follows behind us all, smiling slightly as he encourages Seamus to walk forward. He had been sorted immediately into Ravenclaw. Peggy had been sorted into Slytherin, Luna into Hufflepuff, Kylie into Gryffindor, Jethro into Hufflepuff, Severus into Gryffindor, and Minerva also into Ravenclaw. The rainbow of robes they carried with them was amusing to say the least.

"I'm terrified, mum," Ginny whispers to me as the other seven get up onto the train. Hermione, Harry and Ron watch us, clearly trying to hear whatever pearls of wisdom I might pass on.

"Well," I knelt down to her heart, "In my experience, Ginny, dear, this doesn't matter much. It doesn't matter whether you're in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin."

"No one in our family is in Slytherin," Ginny mumbles.

"To be honest, if we had lived in Britain growing up, your Aunt would have been, I'm guessing. Probably your grandmother as well," I laugh, "And there is no harm in Slytherin. Look at your cousin Lily. Look at Peggy."

"I just… Gryffindor seems to be a family tradition," Ginny finally sighs.

"Out of your whole family, only your father, Alice, Nate, Kylie, and Severus have been in Gryffindor. The rest are from other houses. You'll be fine, no matter where you go," I sooth.

"You probably would've been," Ginny mutters.

"I don't count for anything. Maybe I would have been, you're right. But still. It doesn't matter to me or your father either way. All that matters is that you're happy and you do your best in your schooling. We love you no matter what," I reassure.

"Alright, mum," Ginny sighs. I kiss the top of her head and do the same for each of the others before they get on the train.

Soon after Jethro and Elena appear, walking towards us without any children, thus making me amused.

"What happened to Carlie, Desmond, and Renee? And who has Scipio and Christopher?" I ask cheerfully as they stop in front of us.

"The triplets are already on the train, and the twins are with Ezra and Kita, since those two don't have kids at Hogwarts yet. Next year we'll have to do something different," Elena answers with a small smile, "Seen Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny? Or are they late again?"

"Very, by the looks of it," I roll my eyes, "Unfortunately Neville has to get up to the castle soon, so we'll have a big catch-up later."

"Sounds good," Jethro nods, "I think I'll wait up for Harry. I have something to discuss with him about work, anyway."

"Always work with you two," Elena laughs, "I'll head home then and get the twins. See you Maggie, Neville," and she apparatus away. I nod at Jethro and Neville and I did the same.

"Tired, love?" Neville asks as I sit down at the kitchen table. I nod and he reaches his arms around me, planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Exhausted. Listening to your tale yesterday- and partaking in it for a bit- took a lot out of me," I answer quietly.

"I'm sorry," Neville sighs, "I know it did."

"It's OK. It's done now," I look up at him and smile, "Shouldn't you be getting ready to go?"

"Alright. I'll be back afterwards love," he kisses me on the forehead again and goes upstairs.

That evening, as I read by the wireless and massage my aching feet, he returns and comes to sit next to me by the fire.

"Well? Verdict?" I laugh, holding tightly to his hand.

"Ginny's in Slytherin," Neville smiles, "Hermione's with her. Harry and Ron are both in Gryffindor."

"Interesting, that," I sigh, "They're upset? The girls?"

"They both seemed rather happy, actually. I assume they're going to be fine there," Neville kisses me briefly, "You doing better?"

"For the most part," I look up at him, "We have an empty nest."

"The first time we've been alone since you left Britain when you were eighteen," Neville cheerfully reminds me. I laugh.

"You're right," I reach up and kiss him again, "It's nice. Too bad we aren't randy teenagers anymore."

"No," Neville pulls me closer to him, "Just very much so comfortably in love adults."

"Truth," I embrace him and look up at him, "I want the rest of my life to be peaceful."

"I do too," Neville pauses, "I think, now that the whole Shadows fiasco is over with, the Wizarding World will take a break from wars. What do you think?"

"I think we can never count on that, but we should be able to enjoy the peace while it lasts," I murmur before kissing him again.

"We've been through a lot to be together," Neville mumbles against my lips, "So much so that I can't just take it for granted anymore."

"Of course not," I agree, "But we are now. And we have been for a long time. All is well, love."

He kisses me another time before sighing, "All is well."

AN: Well, there it is. Hard fought, sorely won. The end of the story. I have so many other stories to write- the universe where Maggie and Harry grow up together (the general plotline skeleton is the same, but the details are much, much different;) Melinda and Snape's story in this universe, and my next-gen story about Scorpius, Rose, and Albus (and their friend Mae) in this universe as well. Probably will get around to all of them, though I am feeling particularly about the first at this moment.

Thanks for sticking with this story and I hope you'll grace me with a last review… though, as usual, I'm not too hopeful.


End file.
